KUALA LUMPUR MAY 23: The government of Malaysia will be supplied with 8.2 million bottles of the COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac by Pharmaniaga Bhd. by end of June 2021.
Senior and Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, at the moment the government has received 1.8 million bottles and the rest will be supplied by end of June. The issue of no vaccine supply in the country as alleged by the people is not correct.
Ismail said, at the moment the factory Pharmaniaga LifeScience Sdn. Bhd.has the capacity to bottle two million bottles of Sinovac vaccine per month.
“This amount is not included with the 10.4 million bottles of Sinovac imported from China. Currently 1.4 million has been received, 3 million will be delivered in June, 3 million in July and another 3 million in August 2021,” Ismail said at the press conference here today.
Ismail said that after his visit to the factory to see the development of the process “fill and finish” for COVID-19 vaccine, Sinovac imported from China.
Ismail added, Pharmaniaga only deals with Sinovac vaccine and it is “halal” and has been verified by the company.
Meanwhile the Managing Director of Pharmaniaga Bhd. Datuk Zulkarnain Md. Eusope said, the Sinovac is bottled in Malaysia instead of importing directly from China to safe cost besides having 3 million ready supplies in case the government has a shortage in vaccine supply.
“In case the supply order has not reached from China, we can help to give the additional vaccines as required. We need not have to focus fully on the imported Sinovac as China has contracts with other countries too,” Zulkarnain said that to a question of why Sinovac is not fully imported as it is cheaper.
He added, Pharmaniaga is the only company appointed by the government to supply Sinovac vaccine in the country and this is the standard regulation as imposed in other countries too to monitor the safety of the vaccines provided to the people.
On the question of whether Phamaniaga has received any request from the person “Yong Chee Kong” who wishes to donate two million vaccine doses to the Penang State Government, Zulkifli said: “Mr Yong never communicate with Pharmaniaga.”
Zulkarnain added there have been a lot of demands from the private sectors to purchase Sinovac vaccine but Pharmaniaga’s priority is to supply the government. –Malaysia World News
