▪ Khairy Jamaluddin the nation’s first recipient of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine.

Besides proving it’s safe, he also wants to show confidence in NPRA’s ability to approve vaccines

SCIENCE, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday became the first person in the country to receive the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine.

Khairy, who is the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) coordinating minister, received the first dose of the Chinese-produced vaccine at 1.30pm in Rembau Hospital.

After undergoing the required screening at five stations at the vaccination centre (PPV), he was given the jab by matron Salha Abd Samad.

Khairy said he opted to take the Sinovac vaccine to demonstrate to the public that it was safe and effective.

He said he also wanted to show confidence in the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency’s (NPRA) ability to approve safe, stable and efficacious vaccines.

“I chose Sinovac because after some of my colleagues took the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, many Malaysians said it was safe, but they were not sure about the others because they did not see ministers taking them.

“So I took the Sinovac vaccine so they can say the minister in charge took it and it’s safe.

“Plus, I’ve also read about it. I know it uses inactivated viruses as it is the traditional platform for vaccines. I also know it’s been tested around the world in countries like Brazil, Turkey and Indonesia. It is a safe and effective vaccine.

“If Malaysians are offered Sinovac at PPVs, take it as it is a good and safe vaccine,” he said afterwards.

He said there was no need to doubt the vaccine’s safety and efficacy as more than 60 million doses had been used worldwide, which accounted for more than 15 per cent of doses administered globally up to March 15.

He said the vaccine, developed by China’s Sinovac Life Sciences Co Ltd, had also been subject to emergency-use authorisation protocols in 27 countries.

The countries included China, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Cambodia, Mexico, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand.

He said Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were also given the vaccine.

“This was even before we rolled out its use in the NIP. It is testament to the faith these many countries have in the vaccine’s safety, efficacy and stability for their population’s use,” said Khairy, who showed reporters the vial as proof that he was indeed given the vaccine in question.

He later took the vial home as a souvenir.

The vaccine was approved by the Health Ministry’s regulatory division on March 2.

After the 30-minute isolation period following his inoculation, Khairy said he felt no reactions, adding that he did not even feel the jab.

Khairy said the vaccine, which required storage in temperatures ranging from 2°C to 8°C, was also less challenging to transport.

This, he said, offered Malaysia wider options in its quest to inoculate 80 per cent of the population under the NIP.

Meanwhile, on the additional RM2 billion allocated for the NIP announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday, he said the sum was generally for the implementation of the immunisation programme.

He said the RM3 billion allocated earlier was “broadly” for the purchase of vaccines.

“If there are excess vaccines, we will be reserving for teenagers as we are unsure about their immunity coverage at this point.

“However, if ongoing clinical studies on those between 12-18 find that the vaccine is safe, they will be involved as well.”

On the adverse events following immunisation reports, he said they were under control.

“There have been cases of allergies and anaphylaxis, but they were resolved in 30 minutes. Those who required hospital observation after taking their dose also did not need more than a 24 hour period.”

He said the “Skim Mudarat Covid-19”, a pandemic debilitation scheme, would be announced by the government on Monday.

He called on the people to take their second vaccine doses, adding that the NPRA’s conditional approvals to vaccine applicants were based on their efficacy reports that hinged on people taking their second doses.

Khairy said he would start discussions with China soon to mutually recognise one another’s vaccination certification.

He said Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s visit to the country next week was also expected to see similar discussions.

Khairy also conceded that the registrations on the MySejahtera app for vaccinations were still low. He said the ministry was looking at introducing electronic forms, which required ironing out legal concerns.

“From tomorrow, you can also register dependants on MySejahtera. It was delayed by a week because I wanted the app to be stable before the update was incorporated.

“So after tomorrow, you can register your parents, children and grandparents.”