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KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Ministry of Health has pledged to purchase an additional 12.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, in addition to the 12.8 million doses the country has already lined up.
This will give Malaysia enough doses of Pfizer to inoculate around 39% of its population, the ministry said in a statement on Monday – since each individual needs two doses. A virtual procurement ceremony was held on the same day, with the signing of Minister of Health Adham Baba on behalf of the government.
The deployment of the first 12.8 million doses is expected to begin at the end of February, while the last order will arrive throughout the year.
The Malaysian government had previously signed an agreement with Anglo-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca to procure 6.4 million doses of its vaccine, covering around 10% of the population. The country of nearly 33 million people is also set to get 6.4 million more doses from the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility.
In addition to the three agreements, Malaysia is still in active vaccine discussions with China-based Sinovac and CanSino Biologics, as well as the Russian center Gamaleya.
The government has set aside around 3 billion ringgit ($ 741 million) for the purchase of vaccines.
Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who heads the vaccine supply committee, reportedly said the first batch of supplies would be 1 million doses – enough to vaccinate 500,000 people with two doses 21 days apart.
The first shipment will be reserved for front liners, including health workers, police and military officials.
Beyond stopping the virus and reviving the economy, the introduction of vaccines has important policy implications. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, after postponing a leadership challenge for months, has vowed to call a general election once the pandemic is over.
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