KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian frontliners will be the first recipients of the Covid-19 vaccines when they are expected to be available in the first quarter of next year, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told the Dewan Rakyat today.
“Preliminary vaccine safety alerts will be obtained from vaccine manufacturers to ensure that the frontliners do not become lab rats,” said the Rembau MP.
Also some 70% of Malaysians are expected to receive the vaccines to ensure herd immunity, he added.
He said the remaining 30% comprise children under 12 years old for whom the effectiveness of vaccines has not been fully tested.
“In fact, most vaccines have not been tested on those under the age of 12. That’s why we focus on adults first.”
He said an official announcement on the matter would also be made by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in the near future.
Khairy said the government was also in talks with various countries such as the United States, the European Union, Russia, and China in determining the best Covid-19 vaccine portfolio for Malaysians.
“Like other countries, we will look at the vaccine portfolio. We will not depend on just one country,” he said.
“We will look at the data, effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.”
On the government's plans to develop its own Covid-19 vaccine to reduce the country's dependence on foreign countries, Khairy said the government currently did not have complete facilities for vaccine production.
However, he said, the ministry offered a new fund scheme that encouraged research and development projects in dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic.
“We have approved a project worth RM2.1 million for Universiti Malaya to develop the Covid-19 vaccine. We hope it will become a platform for the development of local vaccines in the country,” he said. – The Vibes, November 25, 2020
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