PUTRAJAYA – The Health Ministry is in talks with pharmaceutical company Pfizer to obtain another 30% of its Covid-19 vaccine, Comirnaty (“Concentrate For Dispersion For Injection”), produced by Pfizer-BioNTech.
Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said the additional amount would cover half of Malaysia’s population.
The national Covid-19 immunisation plan programme will be implemented earlier, as the country is expected to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier, he said at a press conference here today.
Adham was previously reported to have said that Malaysia would receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine a week earlier before the first phase of the national immunisation plan begins on February 26.
On January 11, the agreement for the delivery of the first phase of the Covid-19 Pfizer-BioNTech was signed between the Malaysian government, through the ministry with Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
The agreement involves the procurement of 12,799,800 doses of vaccine that will be supplied from the end of February, covering 20% of Malaysia’s population, with two doses per person.
Adham said the supply would enable early shots for vaccinators, who would be placed at 600 locations.
He said seven personnel would be stationed at each location, adding that the ministry targeted to have 120,000 people receiving the vaccine per day.
On measures taken by the ministry to ensure the smooth running of the immunisation plan, Adham said it had conducted an online survey in December last year and found that 67% of the 200,000 respondents agreed to take the vaccine.
He said that 17% of the respondents said they were unsure and 16% of them rejected the vaccine.
“The ministry has carried out several efforts to convince those unsure about taking the vaccine,” he said. – Bernama, February 10, 2021
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