M'sia to stop Sinovac vaccine for new sign-ups, they will be given Pfizer shots instead

Khairy Jamaluddin separately confirmed that Malaysia will be receiving 25 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines by September.

Faris Alfiq | July 16, 2021, 02:37 PM

Malaysia will stop issuing the Sinovac vaccine for those who have yet to be vaccinated as part of its National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

The remaining stock of Sinovac it has will be reserved for those who have already taken one dose.

Health minister confirms change in roll-out

Health Minister Adham Baba said the remaining doses of Sinovac will be reserved for those who need to complete their full course of vaccination, according to Reuters.

In a press conference on July 15, Adham said that going forward, Malaysia's vaccination drive will largely be "anchored" by the mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Health Ministry officials confirmed that Malaysia has secured about 45 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, enough to cover 70 per cent of the population.

"For those who have yet to be vaccinated, they will receive the Pfizer vaccine," Adham said.

Speaking to The Vibe on July 15, coordinating minister of the immunisation programme, Khairy Jamaluddin, confirmed that Sinovac will no longer be part of the government roll-out.

Khairy did not elaborate further on the reasons why the government is taking this step, but he added that private entities will still be able to administer the Sinovac vaccine to those who want them.

M'sia to receive 25 million Pfizer vaccines by September

In a separate interview with The Sydney Morning Herald on July 15, Khairy said that Malaysia was able to accelerate vaccination rates after renegotiating the supply and delivery of its vaccine purchases.

According to Khairy, 70 per cent of that supply are the mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.

Khairy also mentioned that under the renegotiatied deal, Malaysia will be receiving 25 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine between July and September.

"Kelantan will only use Pfizer"

In a notice seen in Kelantan by Malay language news Harian Metro, dated July 13, the state will stop administering Sinovac vaccines from July 18 onwards as a first dose.

Only those who are receiving their second dose will be given the Sinovac vaccine.

The state's health minister Zaini Hussin declined to give a reason as to why the state is halting the use of Sinovac, but he noted that it is not because of a lack of supplies, Harian Metro reported. 

"After this, Kelantan will only use Pfizer," he is quoted as saying.

Top image via Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Images