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KUALA LUMPUR: The problems faced by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer in supplying the Covid-19 vaccine will not affect shipments to Malaysia, which are expected to begin during the first quarter of next year.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that according to an international media report, the supply problem would only affect this year’s production.
“I am aware of the supply problems, but the same media report also said that the problem would only affect 2020 supply. As far as I know, it will not affect supply for Malaysia next year,” he said during the question session. and answers in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was answering a follow-up question from Fahmi Fadzil (PH-Lembah Pantai) on whether the vaccine supply chain issues reported by Reuters would affect the supply of vaccines to Malaysia.
However, he said that if there are supply chain disruptions, the government will identify vaccine portfolios from other companies, as relying on one company could create risks of insufficient vaccine supply for Malaysians.
Commenting on the additional costs that may be incurred on top of the RM3 billion allocation, Khairy said that each agreement with vaccine manufacturers would take into account costs such as transportation and storage.
“In our agreement with Pfizer, for example, the cost of each dose also covers transportation,” he said.
Responding to the original question, Khairy said that the government has so far signed two agreements to ensure a sufficient supply of vaccines for 30% of the population.
“The first agreement was with the global Covax plant through the optional purchase agreement, signed on November 23, which guarantees supply for 10% of the population.
“The second agreement was an initial purchase agreement with Pfizer, signed on November 24, to provide vaccine supplies to another 20% of the population (12.8 million doses),” he said.
He said that the government will not compromise the safety and efficacy of acquired vaccines, and that the final decision on the use of a vaccine will only be made after it is registered and approved by the National Agency for Pharmaceutical Regulation of the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, he said that the goal of vaccinating 70% of the population in the first quarter of 2021 under the National Immunization Plan will focus on adults to allow the country to reach the threshold for herd immunity.
He said the government is in talks with other vaccine manufacturing companies to achieve the remaining goal.
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