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PETALING JAYA: The first batch of one million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine will be received and delivered to target groups starting in February 2021, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
The Prime Minister will be among the first group of people to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in an attempt to convince people that it is safe and effective.
This will be followed by those on the front lines before being handed over to target groups such as the elderly, those with non-communicable diseases and chronic respiratory diseases, he added.
“The government will ensure that purchased Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective,” he said.
Muhyiddin said this in a short video on the latest developments related to the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine to Malaysians.
He said that the Special Committee on Guarantee of Access to Vaccine Supply, which had been created and co-chaired by the Minister of Health and the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, would ensure that the supply of vaccines could be obtained immediately.
“We are also in final negotiations with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya for the supply of the Covid-19 vaccine,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Health’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) will continue to monitor the effectiveness and safety of vaccines once they are obtained and used.
“Once again, I would like to invite all of you to appreciate and cultivate new norms in everyday life even after receiving vaccinations.
“We need to adapt to the new rules because the virus is already in the community,” he said.
Muhyiddin also reminded people to adhere to established standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to practice frequent hand washing, wearing face masks and maintaining physical detachment.
On the other hand, Muhyiddin said that the government had signed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the acquisition of an additional 10% or 6.4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
This meant that the government had secured a 40% vaccine supply guarantee through joint agreements with Covax, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
The government previously signed preliminary agreements with Covax and Pfizer for the acquisition of the Covid-19 vaccine to ensure a vaccine supply of 30% of the population.
“The government is also in final negotiations with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya to ensure an increase in the supply of vaccines of more than 80% or 26 million of the total population of the country,” he said.
The 80% supply exceeds the government’s initial goal of providing vaccines to 70% of Malaysians.
The Prime Minister said that through all the negotiations and agreements that have been and will be signed, the government will spend a total of US $ 504.4 million (RM2.05 billion).
Muhyiddin explained that the agreements with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya would also bring added value to the local science and technology sectors, which would benefit the people and the development of the country.
“This includes carrying out vaccine bottling processes in the country, research and development, as well as sharing knowledge and technology transfer,” he said.
In the meantime, the government will continue to hold talks with other pharmaceutical companies to ensure that the country has adequate access to vaccine supplies as soon as possible. – Bernama
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