MALAYSIA will wait for all analysis and data to be completed before making any decision on Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine, said Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, as Britain became the first country to allow its citizens to use it.  

The director-general of health said the ministry will still have to wait for phase three of clinical trials of the vaccine before a decision could be made. 

“We need to have all the data before any decision is made.  

“As for us in Malaysia, the vaccine must be registered with regulatory bodies. There is no exception,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today. 

Noor Hisham was commenting on Britain’s decision to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use as it announced a rollout of Pfizer-BioNTech’s drug from next week.  

“The government has today accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for use,” the department of health said in a statement.

It is the first western country to approve the use of the vaccine.

Noor Hisham said the UK will be receiving four million doses of the vaccine as their medicine and healthcare regulatory agency has allowed the use of it. 

“But, they have not registered the vaccine yet. They have only allowed its use because of the emergency they are facing.” 

He said Malaysia will monitor the vaccine’s effectiveness and side effects.

“We still have time to see the effects of the vaccine’s use in Britain.

“Other countries might follow suit by allowing its use for emergencies but not register it with their regulatory bodies yet.

“We are still in the early stages. The main concern in many countries is whether there are side effects,” he added. – December 2, 2020.