Coronavirus: Vaccination
Malaysia's vaccine, also designed as booster, to be ready in 2024
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PETALING JAYA • Malaysia's Covid-19 vaccine, which is also being designed as a booster shot, is expected to be ready in 2024, said Dr Tahir Aris, director of the Health Ministry's Institute for Medical Research (IMR).
"Those who are fully vaccinated may need booster shots to stay protected, and they may even need it yearly," Dr Tahir told The Star during a tour of the IMR laboratory in Setia Alam, Selangor.
"Such a move is important to continue our defence against the coronavirus. Malaysia should not rely wholly on imported vaccine supplies," he said.
IMR, which is the biomedical research arm of Malaysia's Ministry of Health, is working on two types of Covid-19 vaccines - one using mRNA technology and the other using the inactivated vaccine approach.
Dr Tahir said the team was hopeful that the vaccine will be effective against variants of concern such as the highly infectious Delta strain.
He added that the inactivated vaccine would undergo pre-clinical trials involving animals next month at the Veterinary Research Institute facility in Ipoh.
"The tests will take around six months before we can move forward with clinical trials involving humans next year. We hope that the vaccine will be ready in 2024."
The institute is working with experts from Universiti Putra Malaysia and the Veterinary Research Institute.
Dr Tahir said he hopes that the Malaysia-produced vaccines would match the efficacy and quality standards of those produced overseas.
"The initiative to develop the Covid-19 vaccine goes beyond the current pandemic, as it will prepare Malaysia in case of future outbreaks," he added.
"We also need to develop young researchers in this field for the benefit of the nation."
The committee overseeing vaccine supply in Malaysia posted on Twitter yesterday that over 8.8 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered since the country's inoculation programme began in February.
So far, about 7.8 per cent of those eligible for vaccinations have received two doses and completed their inoculations.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
