BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2020) Malaysia hopes to soon receive the best COVID-19 vaccines developed across the world, including the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, and start vaccinating the population in the first and second quarters of 2021, Malaysian Health Minister Adham Baba said on Monday.
Malaysia is currently considering 10 leading vaccine candidates that had completed phase 3 clinical trials and is engaged in talks with the producers.
"We are confident that there are many more leading candidates in the world like Gamaleya Research Institute whose vaccine [Sputnik V] has also undergone the third phase of clinical tests which we see as a good opportunity too in providing vaccines to our own people," Baba said, as cited by the national BERNAMA news agency.
The minister also said that German biotechnology firm BioNTech and US pharmaceutical company Pfizer reported a successful third phase of clinical trials of their COVID-19 vaccine.
Another candidate is the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China, which is yet to declare the results of phase 3 clinical trials, the minister said, adding that Malaysia is still in talks with the producer.
"However, the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for our country will depend on careful considerations with regard to the quality, safety, implications and registration of these vaccines by the producing countries," the minister added.
Malaysia has confirmed so far 47,417 cases of the coronavirus infection, including 34,785 recoveries and 309 fatalities.
