PUTRAJAYA – The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) today refuted allegations that the government has paid RM3 billion for the purchase of 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, after the claims went viral on social media.
The ministry said that as was previously announced, Putrajaya was allocating RM3 billion for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines for up to 70% of the country’s population or 22.4 million people.
It said the minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, had also answered and explained the matter several times to lawmakers in the Dewan Rakyat.
In a statement, MOSTI said that so far Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccine procurement costs roughly RM2.05 billion.
It added that the government has just signed an agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to purchase 6.4 million more doses or an additional 10% of Covid-19 vaccine.
“This means we have already secured 40% of supply through agreements with the Covax facility, Pfizer and AstraZeneca,” the ministry said.
MOSTI said the government was also in final negotiations with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya to boost its vaccine supply to cover more than 80% of the country’s population or 26.5 million people.
“This amount exceeds the initial target, which is to provide vaccination to 70% of Malaysian citizens,” it added.
The ministry also urged the public to beware of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories.
“MOSTI will not hesitate to take legal action on baseless or false statements which can create confusion among the people,” it said. – Bernama, December 22, 2020
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