KUALA LUMPUR – Despite its use being suspended in several European countries, Malaysia will still go ahead with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has given its conditional nod for the shot developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
“Malaysia is confident with the deliberation by NPRA in issuing the (conditional) approval, which has taken into consideration important matters including the safety, quality and effectiveness of the vaccine (by AstraZeneca),” he told the New Straits Times.
Recently, Denmark and several European countries suspended the use of the vaccine after patients developed blood clots after getting their jabs.
Dr Adham said the ministry has taken note of the report published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 11 over the cases in Denmark, adding that there is no indication that the vaccine caused these conditions.
“Even though there is no clear indication that the incidents can be linked to the Covid-19 vaccine, NPRA will continue to monitor its safety.
“Further updates on the outcome of the EMA assessment will be communicated and regulatory action taken if necessary.”
Other countries joining Denmark are Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg.
Thailand has also delayed its roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while Philippines and Australia will not do so.
Malaysia is expecting the delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine this month. – The Vibes, March 13, 2021
