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PETALING JAYA: Khairy Jamaluddin has denied claims that Malaysia will pay more than 20 times the price Belgium pays for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.
“RM3 billion (to be paid by Malaysia) is our general estimate to get coverage for at least 70% of our population,” he said in a tweet today while correcting DAP’s Lim Kit Siang claims.
Lim had previously highlighted a tweet from Belgian Secretary of State Eva De Bleeker that accidentally revealed that her country paid 12 euros (approximately RM60) per dose for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Last month, Putrajaya signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc to obtain its Covid-19 vaccine for 20% of the population. The doses will cover 6.4 million people.
Khairy, the minister for science, technology and innovation, further said that the RM3 billion was for “at least” 50 million doses if double doses are required.
The price of each dose sold to Malaysia is unknown, as Pfizer requires a nondisclosure agreement.
“The prime minister will make an announcement soon about our vaccine portfolio, its population coverage and the overall price. But we cannot disclose every deal, ”Khairy added.
However, Khairy said the government aims to get “a good portfolio of vaccines at a fair price.
Khairy had previously told Dewan Rakyat that negotiations with vaccine manufacturers were still ongoing.
