WITH the recent announcement by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin, I wonder if the prime minister even understands the complexity of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer, which requires ultra-cold temperatures of -70°C storage in hospitals, pharmacies, warehouses and during transportation.
In fact, my biggest fear that this would happen has become a reality when Muhyiddin announced that the government has inked an agreement with Pfizer to obtain 12.8 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccines.
Of course, the next biggest fear is whether the Pfizer vaccine is what some medical doctors in the West have spoken out strongly against as it will alter the DNA of a person.
The cost of the vaccine is now anyone’s guess and Muhyiddin should be upfront about the price that the government has to pay to Pfizer for the vaccines.
Assuming that the cost of the medicine is RM100 per dose, this would cost the government at least RM1.28 billion, and there is a lot of room for negotiations with the pharmaceutical company.
Who will be paying for the vaccine? Is the government going to pay for it or individual families? Even if it is RM100 per dose, a family of four or five would cost the breadwinner an additional RM400 to RM500 for the vaccines alone. Under the current economic conditions, many people are already struggling and this would further cause hardships to families.
Is Pfizer capable of supplying the vaccine below the price announced by the Chinese government for its Sinovac vaccine, which is below US$20 (RM81) per dose, especially when there is already a guaranteed market demand worldwide?
To put it bluntly to Muhyiddin, the Chinese vaccine is arranged through a government-to-government arrangement and, unless Pfizer can supply the vaccine below the price quoted by the Chinese government, there is no reason why the Malaysian government should rush into signing the agreement with a private company.
In fact, compared with the vaccine developed by Pfizer, the Sinovac vaccine can be stored at normal fridge temperature of 2°C to 8°C, which is more practical for our tropical climate. Besides, Pfizer's vaccines have a lifespan of only three months.
The next question I want to ask is to the Health Minister Dr Adham Baba and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin: how well-prepared are our hospitals and clinics with facilities that can support the -70°C storage temperature of the Pfizer vaccine?
Indonesia has ruled out buying from Pfizer because it knows its limitations and the extreme conditions for storage of the vaccine.
Besides spending money on the vaccine, will the government have to spend more on the logistics of distributing and storing the Pfizer vaccine throughout the country? Would this money be better used to purchase more doses of the vaccine for more people?
Therefore, I urge the government under Muhyiddin to come clean when it comes to handling something, which is a matter of life and death, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
If Muhyiddin had acted fast enough, he could have tested the Chinese vaccines during the recent spike in the number of cases in Sabah and other high-risk areas. Indonesia is said to be vaccinating her own citizens by December.
Is Muhyiddin too conservative or is it because he lacks the ability to act fast, like his counterpart in Indonesia? The Chinese vaccines are already being used to test in several countries, including Turkey.
A final question, which has been left unanswered is: why is Khairy involved in the negotiation, when the vaccine comes directly under the Health Ministry? What does the science, technology and innovation minister have to do with the negotiations of the vaccines? – The Vibes, November 28, 2020
Ronnie Liu is Sg Pelek state assemblyman. He is also DAP central executive committee member and Selangor DAP secretary
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