TO erase doubt and hesitancy over certain brands of Covid-19 vaccine, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba has assured the people that only high quality, safe and effective shots have been approved for use in Malaysia.

Questions have been asked on whether certain brands work better than others, with some people expressing less confidence in vaccines developed in China.

This has led to a debate over whether people should be allowed to choose the vaccine of their preference.

In response to such questions, Adham said the vaccines approved for use in the national Covid-19 immunisation programme were thoroughly examined by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) for efficacy, safety and quality before they were subsequently approved by the Drug Control Authority.

“The government can guarantee that every variant of vaccine has been examined by experts and its safety, quality and efficacy have been ascertained,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“Only vaccines which have shown satisfactory (results) in terms of quality, efficacy and safety have been approved.”

Adham said the government had procured different Covid-19 vaccines due to global demand outstripping supply. He said Malaysia was fortunate to have been able to secure enough jabs for its people.

The vaccines have to be administered as soon as possible across the country to achieve herd immunity, he said.

“It is important for the government to ensure that the Covid-19 vaccines are distributed to all areas in the country and that there is sufficient doses for all eligible people, regardless of whether they are in the cities or rural areas,” he said.

“If people were to be allowed to choose their vaccine, we would not be able to carry out the large-scale vaccination programme within the stipulated time frame.

“Therefore, the people are advised to take the vaccine offered to them at the scheduled time.”

Experts’ take

Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Associate Professor Dr Malina Osman said concern over vaccine brand was not based on scientific evidence but on consumer perception.

“Scientifically, all vaccines purchased by the government have undergone specific protocols.

“Based on documented evidence, all vaccines have proven to be safe and effective. In addition, we have an independent agency, the NPRA, which is responsible for reviewing and scrutinising the pharmacological aspects of the respective vaccines,” she said.

She cited studies showing consumers tended to consider products made in China to be cheap but lacking in quality.

Another factor that could have influenced public perception of certain brands were Covid-19 awareness videos which featured specific vaccines, she said.

Malina said emphasis should be on the vaccine instead of its brand or trade name.

“As all the vaccines have been scientifically proven to provide adequate protection, we should take any vaccine that is available to us according to the schedule of vaccination,” she said.

This will ensure the smooth executive of the vaccination programme, she said.

“Our focus is to achieve adequate coverage of vaccination for us to attain herd immunity status against infection.”

Medical virologist Dr Chee Hui Yee said each type of vaccine has its own advantages and disadvantages.

However, she said some people may have the impression that the Pfizer-BioNTech shot will be a better choice due the vaccine being the first to be approved by the US Food and Drug Authority as well as the transparency in the clinical trials published.

The associate professor at UPM’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences said the government has to provide more data on the approved vaccines to create more awareness.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has said last month that he will pick another vaccine over the Pfizer-BioNTech jab to show that all vaccines are safe and effective.
  
Apart from the US-German Pfizer-BioNTech and Russian Sputnik V vaccines, Malaysia has acquired the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the UK and vaccines produced by China-based pharmaceutical companies Sinovac and CanSinoBio. – March 8, 2021.