SUNGAI PETANI – The country launched its Covid-19 vaccine trial today, with 62 healthy volunteers at Sg Abdul Halim Hospital here becoming the first individuals to be inoculated against the virus on Malaysian soil.
The process began at the district hospital this morning under the watchful eyes of a Health Ministry medical supervisor.
According to a post on the hospital’s official Facebook account, the trial will continue over the next few days.
The volunteers will also receive a second shot, although it is not disclosed which type of synthetic drug has been administered to the volunteers in this trial.
Earlier, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah disclosed that the study will involve up to 3,000 healthy participants in nine public hospitals.
The other eight trial sites are at Ampang Hospital, Sarawak General Hospital, Sg Buloh Hospital, Penang Hospital, Seberang Jaya Hospital, Taiping Hospital, Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Star, and Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.
Dr Noor Hisham said the decision was made to enter the testing stage following the success of Phases 1 and 2 of the vaccine’s clinical trials, which showed that it can elicit adequate antibody response.
The study aims to further investigate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in Malaysia, given the country’s diverse population.
“It might work in other populations, but what about in Malaysia? That is the reason why it is good that we embark on this study,” Dr Noor Hisham said.
Sungai Petani has the highest infection rate in Kedah. As of yesterday, there are 989 Covid-19 cases here, of which 205 remain active.
Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in a statement said curtailing movement remains the best option to cut the transmission line of Covid-19.
“‘No movement, no infection’ should be the appropriate slogan in the fight against the virus.”
He said Penang will emphasise that each of its resident is responsible in the fight to bring down, and eventually contain, the virus once and for all.
The state’s districts have been mired with red-zone statuses for the last three months, with an average fresh infection rate of 90 to 120 cases daily, making it the top state in the northern region in terms of numbers.
Penang has close to 7,000 cases since last March, with 11 deaths.
A few private hospitals in the state have begun to treat Covid-19 patients, as Penang Hospital and Seberang Jaya Hospital are almost full. – The Vibes, January 30, 2021
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