KOTA KINABALU – The Health Ministry has decided to proceed to roll-out the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia as its benefits outweigh the risks.
The shot has been saddled with controversy, with foreign media reports linking it to blood clots and deaths in the United Kingdom.
This has caused many countries to review their usage of the AstraZeneca vaccine, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
“Looking into the incidents, (blood clots) are very, very rare.
“So, the benefits outweigh the risks, and this is the decision we have made, but, nevertheless, we still have to be careful on the usage of the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
He said the ministry has already registered three vaccines.
“First, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from Belgium and Germany, the second is Astrazeneca from the Netherlands and South Korea under the Covax initiative, and the third is Sinovac.
“All three have been given conditional registration by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division (NPRA), and we hope they can increase the number of vaccinations.”
He added that Pharmaniaga is in the process of getting NPRA approval to supply the Sinovac shot.
Earlier, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government’s Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Special Committee will be reviewing the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Putrajaya has a support plan on standby if the committee decides that the vaccine is not suitable to be used in Malaysia, he added.
He said local experts will meet on Tuesday to further analyse the vaccine’s clinical data, following reports on its side effects in the United Kingdom.
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On Putrajaya’s approach in the registration of rural Sabah folk to get the Covid-19 jab, Dr Noor Hisham said it is looking into a partnership with government agencies so it can enter the state’s interiors.
“The requirements are probably different for each area,” he said after visiting Tuaran Hospital today.
“Thus, the ministry will work closely with police, armed forces or Rela, to reach those in rural areas to register and vaccinate them.
“But the vaccine used will preferably be a single dose shot as it will be much easier than a double dose.
“The best single dose shots at the moment are Chemsino and Johnson & Johnson.”
Sabah’s coronavirus vaccine registration remains the lowest in the country at 355,202, or 12.1%, as of April 2.
On March 31, state Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the state government will conduct a drive to manually register those in the interior under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
He said this has to be done to ensure people in remote areas do not miss out on receiving the shot due to internet connectivity issues.
On his visit to Sabah, Dr Noor Hisham said he has visited two hospitals – Tuaran Hospital and another private one – to view their preparedness as vaccination centres.
“We have identified eight hospitals in Sabah to be turned into vaccination centres for high-risk cases, and Tuaran Hospital is one of them.
“Those in the low-risk group will be vaccinated at health or private clinics.”
He said individuals who have received both doses of the vaccine should continue to adhere to standard operating procedures to ensure they remain safe.
“When we reach a herd immunity status of between 70% and 80%, only then can we relax public health measures.” – The Vibes, April 4, 2021
