Khairy: Study showing 85% efficacy after one dose of Pfizer vaccine could be a 'game changer' for Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: A recent study suggesting that Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is 85% effective after a single dose could be a "game changer" for the vaccine rollout in Malaysia, says Khairy Jamaluddin (pic).

"(This is) a development that the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access (JKJAV) will be following closely," tweeted the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister.

"Some countries have extended the interval between two doses to cover more people.

"If the Pfizer vaccine offers good efficacy after just one dose, this could be a game changer in the vaccine rollout," he said in a tweet on Saturday (Feb 20), posting an article about the new findings.

The study, published in The Lancet medical journal on Feb 18, found that over 7,000 healthcare workers at the Sheba Medical Centre in Israel had an 85% reduction rate of symptomatic Covid-19 infections 15 to 28 days after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

The reduction rate was 75% for overall infections, which included asymptomatic cases, 15 to 28 days after the first dose.

Reuters reported that Pfizer, in an emailed statement, said it was looking at real-world data from Israel and other locations to understand the impact of its vaccine against Covid-19 arising from emerging variants.

Canadian researchers have also suggested that the second Pfizer vaccine dose could be delayed – given the high level of protection obtained from the first shot – in order to increase the number of people getting vaccinated.

Khairy also tweeted an article that Pfizer had requested permission from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to store its Covid-19 vaccine for two weeks at temperatures that are more commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators.

"Another interesting development on the Pfizer vaccine. This may make the cold chain distribution easier.

"Good news for our immunisation programme as Pfizer makes up a substantial part of our vaccine portfolio (50% of the population)," he said in a separate tweet.

Previously, there had been concerns over the requirement that Pfizer's vaccines be stored in temperatures that are between -80°C and -60°C.

The company has now submitted data to the US FDA that shows that the vaccine is stable between -25°C to -15°C for up to two weeks.