[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has been urged to join the Covax Facility, a global initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop and distribute effective vaccines against Covid-19.
Covax aims to deliver two billion doses of safe and effective vaccines that have passed regulatory approval with WHO prequalification by the end of 2021.
By participating in the initiative, the vaccines will be offered to Malaysia along with 170 countries that have signed up as of yesterday. The vaccines will be available to all participating countries in quantities proportional to their population.
As the September 18 deadline approaches, the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society has urged the government to sign up to ensure access to vaccines.
Its president, Amrahi Buang, said yesterday that the WHO, which is a world leader in health and a very relevant international organization, can be trusted to tackle the pandemic around the world.
“It will be prudent for Malaysia to get on the list before the deadline,” he said.
“If we are not part of the global initiative, how are we going to contribute to fight the virus together with other nations?
“Of course, we have to get our hands on vaccines. At the moment, we don’t have the patients to run the proper clinical trials. “
Noting that two Malaysian companies, Duopharma Biotech and Pharmaniaga, will be involved in filling and finishing the vaccines, Amrahi said efforts could be made to manufacture them in the country.
“If Malaysia is part of Covax, then these two facilities could produce certified halal vaccines that adhere to pharmaceutical standards.
“Being the only global halal pharmaceutical standard in the world, this aspect is a plus point for the country. We hope that the government ensures that effective vaccines are available to our population as soon as possible, “he added.
Not joining the Covax initiative would mean that Malaysia needs to rely on a dose buffer for humanitarian and emergency use in the event of serious outbreaks of Covid cases.
Health Minister Dr Adham Baba had recently said that Malaysia was in no rush to join the international scheme.
He said the country could cope with infections and flatten the curve to single digits even without vaccines.
“The information and data currently available on the Covax Facility is still unclear, including the implementation of the Covax Facility, the lack of clear clinical data sharing on the vaccine to be developed by the manufacturers, the governance structure of the Covax Facility that has yet to be specify, as well as the roles and functions of the participating countries in decision-making and policies regarding the Covax Facility, among others ”, said Adham quoted yesterday by the CodeBlue portal.
“In accordance with that, the Ministry of Health will continue to monitor current developments on the development of Covid-19 vaccines by manufacturers or producing countries. On top of that, for now, the ministry will continue to monitor the latest information and data on this Covax facility before making any decision to join the Covax initiative. “
Read this story on our iPaper: Sign up or get out
[ad_2]
