KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pledged tonight that Malaysia will have access to a Covid-19 vaccine even if one is not manufactured locally.
He said Malaysia was already discussing with countries that are developing a vaccine and offered its assistance.
“Experts from the World Health Organisation said that we are in danger as long as no vaccine is found.
“We must take an immediate action, even if we did not produce the vaccine, but the vaccine must be available in front of our door.
“Actions are currently being taken on this matter. We are in talks about cooperating with other countries who are producing it,” he said at Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s fourth anniversary celebrations today.
Currently, Russia and China have announced that they have come out with working vaccine for Covid-19.
On September 3, health news portal Code Blue reported that Malaysia has not yet committed to joining a global Covid-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the WHO that has signed up 76 countries so far.
The portal quoted Health Minister Datuk Dr Adham Baba as saying Malaysia was waiting for more information on the international plan whose coordinators have set a September 18 deadline for participating countries to make binding commitments.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported Seth Berkley, head of the GAVI international vaccine alliance based in Switzerland and the United States, that the plan known as COVAX — which aims to help purchase and fairly distribute coronavirus vaccines — currently has commitments from Japan, Germany, and Norway, among 76 upper middle income and high income nations, to procure Covid-19 vaccines through the facility for their populations.
