PUTRAJAYA – High-risk groups, such as frontliners and senior citizens, who will be among the first in the country to receive the Covid-19 vaccine should not be regarded as “lab rats”, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The prime minister told a virtual press conference here today that the vaccine to be used in Malaysia would have undergone large-scale clinical trials.
He gave an assurance that the vaccine will have to meet conditions set by the Health Ministry’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, adding that the government will not compromise on the matter.
“The vaccination process will be done in stages, with high-risk groups prioritised before it is extended to others.
“Those considered high-risk are, among others, frontliners, senior citizens, and people with non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory illness and so on.
“Frontliners and high-risk groups won’t be the ones to test the vaccine, like ‘lab rats’ as some have described it. They will get a vaccine that has been tested and is proven safe.”
Citing the vaccine produced by pharmaceutical company Pfizer as an example, Muhyiddin said it has undergone Phase 3 clinical trials, with the initial test involving 43,998 participants from various countries, including the US, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, South Africa and Turkey.
“And if all 12 vaccines in Phase 3 trials are combined, a total of 500,000 participants were involved.
“After undergoing clinical trials, the data obtained is evaluated by international bodies, such as the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the European Medicines Agency.” – Bernama, November 27, 2020
