KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today said that Malaysia is ready to participate in vaccine trials if chosen by any country that produces it.

Dr Noor Hisham said the participation is vital as it could ensure Malaysia is prioritised for the supply once a Covid-19 vaccine is developed.

"We are ready to receive the vaccine so that the research can be conducted at here. We can monitor whether the vaccine is effective or not.

"Also, if a vaccine has been identified to cure the Covid-19 disease, we can make sure Malaysia given the priority to get the vaccine as we participate in the vaccine trial,” he said in his daily briefing on Covid-19 update.

He also said Malaysia could also help in the manufacturing of the vaccine even though the country has no foundation to create a vaccine by its own at the moment.

"Maybe we don’t the ability to produce the vaccine at the moment, but if we have identified the vaccine, then we can manufacture it here based on the formula.

"These can be done with the cooperation from countries that have the ability to produce the vaccine. We also can share the data for the vaccine research,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said that the government is discussing with the countries which have the capability to produce vaccines.

"Two or three countries have been identified. However, when we identified the vaccine, we need to conduct research because some vaccines might have side effects,” he said.

Yesterday, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Malaysia has identified its partners to develop Covid-19 vaccine: China, the United Kingdom, South Korea, India, Bosnia and Russia.