KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry said Malaysia's procurement of Covid-19 vaccines hinges on five key conditions.
Heath director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, commenting on Malaysia inking a deal with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to secure Covid-19 vaccines for its people, said the first condition involves technical aspects.
The vaccines, he said, must be registered with the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for regulatory approval, as well as with the Health Ministry's National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) before it can be used in Malaysia.
"Secondly, we will distribute the vaccines to high-risk members of the population such as frontliners, medical workers and the elderly.
"Thirdly, we will have discussions and agreements with other countries and several other sources on procuring the vaccine supplies.
"Fourthly, we will monitor the effectiveness of the vaccines on the high risk groups. Finally, we will assess the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccines and look at whether they are effective for herd immunity," he said during a press conference at the Health Ministry here today.
The vaccines, he said, would only be given to those aged 18 and above.
Dr Noor Hisham said a committee would be set up to look into the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines. This, he said, would facilitate a more comprehensive discussion in terms of the entire supply chain.