THE government has signed an agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the procurement of 6.4 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said this meant that the government has secured enough vaccines for 40% of Malaysians through joint agreements with Covax, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

“The government is also in final negotiations with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya to secure a vaccine supply for more than 80% or 26.5 million of the country’s total population,” he said in a video on developments of Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccine procurement today.

The 80% supply exceeds the government’s initial target to provide vaccines to 70% of Malaysians.

The prime minister said through all the negotiations and agreements that have been and will be signed, the government will spend a total of US$504.4 million (RM2.05 billion).

Muhyiddin said the agreements with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya will also add value to the local science and technology sectors.

“This includes carrying out vaccine bottling processes in the country, research and development, as well as knowledge sharing and technology transfer,” he said.

The government, in the meantime, will continue to hold talks with other pharmaceutical companies to ensure the country has adequate access to free vaccine supply.

He said the vaccines obtained will be ensured to be safe and effective.

The prime minister said the government is aware that efforts to prevent the Covid-19 from spreading are important to ensure that the economic situation of the people and the country can be improved as soon as possible. – Bernama, December 22, 2020.