Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin revealed today that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for use in Malaysia.
He tweeted, “I was just informed by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah that the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has given conditional registration for the Pfizer vaccine. We are still waiting for additional information from Pfizer but this means it can be used in Malaysia. Congratulations NPRA on the quick registration.”
This update from the former youth and sports minister, comes as a relief, following the country’s highest daily Covid-19 infections, a new record of 3,027.
His tweet came after he told Malaysians that they will not be given the choice of which Covid-19 vaccine they want to take as it would be a logistical nightmare.
Khairy had earlier revealed that the Malaysian government confirmed a purchase of 55 freezers worth RM6.7 million to keep the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine as it requires storage at super low temperatures.
Malaysia has allocated RM2.05 billion to secure COVID vaccines so far.
Malaysia has been reported to have secured enough vaccines for 40% of the population (20% from Pfizer, 10% from AstraZeneca and 10% from WHO’s Covax facility, which will also come from AstraZeneca) and is in the final stages of negotiations with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya (Sputnik V) to secure more vaccine doses.
