It has been almost a year since our country was hit by the terrible coronavirus pandemic, which has infected thousands of people and killed hundreds.
The number of cases is now on the rise again and there are no signs of it going down anytime soon. While our frontliners have been risking their own safety for the wellbeing of others, it looks like a vaccine is our only option now.
Photo via New Straits Times
However, the COVID-19 vaccine, produced by a United States pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, will have to go through five phases before it can be approved for use in Malaysia, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah.
According to the Malay Mail, DG Hisham explained that the five phases are necessary to identify the vaccine’s effectiveness and who will get it first.
He added that Pfizer’s application to be registered with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) was received on 15 December, “We are currently looking at it. Based on the documents we received, we will start evaluating the quality and efficacy of the product and we also have 11 medical experts to help look into these documents.
“We may take around 90 to 120 days to scrutinise everything and make sure it is safe to use. That is the first step.”
Photo via Council on Foreign Relations
Dr Noor Hisham added: “The second step is to make sure we can procure these vaccines and have the logistics to handle it. Third, who is getting priority over this?
“We will look into the frontliners and also the most vulnerable groups as the first receivers. The fourth step is to monitor the after effects of the use of these vaccines.”
He further explained the last step is to look on a whole whether or not this vaccine is able to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, meaning that the medical experts will look into the effectiveness of the product in curbing infections.
Perkembangan semasa berkaitan pembekalan vaksin #COVID19 untuk Malaysia. Semua perjanjian ini akan memberikan Malaysia...
Posted by KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA on Monday, December 21, 2020
On 24 November, the government announced that it had secured an initial supply of 12.8 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer, enough to give free immunisation to 6.4 million Malaysians or 20% of the population.
The delivery of one million doses will be made in the first quarter of next year, which will be followed by 1.7 million doses (second quarter), 5.8 million doses (third quarter), and 4.3 million doses (fourth quarter).
We still have a long way to go before the COVID-19 vaccine is available in our country, so, in the meantime, let’s take care of ourselves…
Remember to always follow the SOPs when you’re out and about, wear a face mask and maintain physical distancing!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
