Vaccines for Malaysia: Why we're joining Covax and how much it will cost us

Graphic: DADO RUVIC/Reuters

On Sept 19, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that Malaysia would join the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) Facility, a global partnership that aims to support the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus and share access to it.

Khairy, who is leading the Malaysian government’s efforts to identify and secure Covid-19 vaccines, later provided reassurance through his public statements that he was also exploring other options, including directly negotiating with relevant pharmaceutical companies which are currently spearheading the race to develop a vaccine.