PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s decision to widen its choice of vaccines for Covid-19 has drawn guarded acceptance from experts.
One described it as “the least imperfect solution” while another stressed the need to base any such decision on scientific evidence.
Health systems and policies specialist Dr Khor Swee Kheng said given the supply constraints worldwide, purchasing from multiple suppliers is the best option.
But with a multiple choice of vaccines, there has to be a strategy on how they are deployed and who gets what vaccine, he added.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced earlier this week that Malaysia has signed another deal to purchase an additional 6.4 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca.
“We are also in the final phase of our talks with Chinese and Russian manufacturers to secure more doses,” Muhyiddin said.
Under a preliminary agreement signed with Covax and Pfizer, Malaysia will get 12.8 million doses of the vaccine, enough for 30% of the population of just over 30 million.
The government is also in the final stage of negotiations to buy another 26.5 million doses from China’s Sinovac and CanSino, and Russia’s Gameleya.
The Russian vaccine, called Sputnik V, is now undergoing Phase 3 of trials involving 44,000 volunteers in the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia, according to Russian Direct Investment Fund chief executive officer Kirill Dmitriev.
Like other vaccines, Sputnik V must be taken in two doses, 21 days apart. The vaccine will be marketed at US$20 (RM85.25) per dose.
Malaysia is expected to spend as much as US$504.4 million (RM2.04 billion) on vaccine procurement.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib said any decision on whether to use the vaccine “should always be guided by science and evidence”.
“The issue of safety is critical. We are concerned that the Chinese vaccines have yet to complete Phase 3 of clinical trials, and their efficacy is still unknown.”
However, he said if the data is positive and it proves that the vaccine is effective and safe, it should be included in the vaccination programme in Malaysian.
