‘Diverse vaccine portfolio will help offset sudden shortage’

PETALING JAYA: Having a diverse Covid-19 vaccine portfolio will help prevent sudden shortages of vaccine stocks, say experts.

Epidemiologist Prof Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud of Universiti Malaya said the government had to procure vaccines from a variety of companies across the globe due to limited supplies.

“Most countries are likely to draw up a portfolio of vaccines as there just isn’t enough supply from a single company anyway.

“We are not the earliest country to procure vaccines, but we are certainly not the last, so there is hope that we can get some of the population protected within the first half of the year, ” he said.

Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman said Malaysia’s strategy to diversify its vaccine supply is appropriate.

“This is to anticipate possible unwanted side effects, which hopefully will not occur, of a specific vaccine, or to offset a sudden shortage of supply, ” she said.

Universiti Malaya professor of epidemiology and public health Prof Dr Sanjay Rampal said vaccinations would play a larger role this year in managing the pandemic, though it was unlikely to completely eradicate Covid-19.

“Vaccination by itself is not an effective exit strategy to this pandemic.

“Humans will have to learn to live with Covid-19 for the long term in a sustainable manner. It may also be likely that the virus evolves towards a more sustainable co-existence with humans, ” he said.

The government has signed a number of deals to secure vaccines that is expected to cover about 80% of the population here.

Malaysia signed an agreement to secure the Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine for 6.4 million Malaysians, with the first batch expected to arrive in February.

The government also inked a deal with AstraZeneca-Oxford to secure vaccine doses that would cover 3.2 million Malaysians, or about 10% of the population.

Malaysia also joined the Covax Facility, a global platform which aims to promote fair access to Covid-19 vaccines, which would cover a further 10% of the population.

The government is also finalising agreements with Chinese pharmaceutical companies Sinovac Biotech and CanSino Biologics, as well as Russia’s Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology.