KUALA LUMPUR – The Covid-19 vaccination programme in the country should be completed by the end of this year or early next year, according to Health Ministry estimations.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the programme will involve three phases, with the first phase expected to start in March, involving half a million vaccines for frontliners.
“We hope to receive the first batch of vaccines by the end of next month. We expect the first phase of vaccinations to be from March to May, with the second dose being administered 21 days after the first dose.
“The second phase is for vulnerable groups, involving those aged 60 and above, as well as those with infectious and non-communicable diseases.
“The third phase will be given to all 17 million Malaysians, especially those who are working. We hope to complete the vaccination by the end of this year or early next year.
“This is our plan to end or break the Covid-19 infection chain,” he said during the ministry’s virtual Covid-19 emergency media briefing session today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division under the ministry has given only conditional approval to the vaccine produced by pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
He said the approval was given after looking at the third phase of clinical trials, including the side effects of the vaccine.
He added that all vaccines have side effects, such as fever, redness and so on, following the body’s response to the jab.
On the vaccine’s effectiveness, Dr Noor Hisham said Malaysia has an advantage in terms of time to see just how effective the vaccine is in countries that have already carried out the vaccination programme.
“This may be to our advantage, as we have four months to review the implementation of vaccination programmes in other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. The side effects are low. Many of my friends there have received the vaccine.
“So far, with the Pfizer vaccine, there are no related side effects. (If) there is a possibility of death or other side effects, it may not be related to the vaccine. This is what we have to see, whether (death) is caused by the vaccine or is a ‘coincidence’ related to other diseases.”
He said the ministry will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the jab. – Bernama, January 25, 2021
