LETTER | Preparing for the vaccine: How can Malaysia get ready?
LETTER | The world is collectively holding its breath for the Covid-19 vaccine as it has been estimated that between 85 to 90 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated for the world to break free from the coronavirus pandemic and for normal life to resume.
Progress on the development of a vaccine has been encouraging. According to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), there are 73 vaccine candidates that are being explored, while five have already entered clinical trials.
While it is true that a vaccine cannot come soon enough, it is also vital that Malaysia spends this time preparing for the mass vaccination of the public when a vaccine becomes available. To do so, Malaysia has to ensure that the vaccine is available, accessible, and does not fall victim to misinformation.
Malaysia has to first ensure that it can secure a sufficient supply of the vaccine. There is a legitimate concern that Covid-19 vaccines may go to the highest bidder unless sufficient global diplomatic and advocacy efforts are made to ensure that the vaccines are equally distributed to all.
Malaysia needs to work with other low- and middle-income countries to ensure that firm rules are being set...
LETTER | The world is collectively holding its breath for the Covid-19 vaccine as it has been estimated that between 85 to 90 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated for the world to break free from the coronavirus pandemic and for normal life to resume.
Progress on the development of a vaccine has been encouraging. According to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), there are 73 vaccine candidates that are being explored, while five have already entered clinical trials.
While it is true that a vaccine cannot come soon enough, it is also vital that Malaysia spends this time preparing for the mass vaccination of the public when a vaccine becomes available. To do so, Malaysia has to ensure that the vaccine is available, accessible, and does not fall victim to misinformation.
Malaysia has to first ensure that it can secure a sufficient supply of the vaccine. There is a legitimate concern that Covid-19 vaccines may go to the highest bidder unless sufficient global diplomatic and advocacy efforts are made to ensure that the vaccines are equally distributed to all.
Malaysia needs to work with other low- and middle-income countries to ensure that firm rules are being set around the intellectual property rights, pricing, supply, and manufacturing of the vaccine that promotes international collaboration rather than nationalistic competition.
These efforts will also be important to ensure that the vaccine will be affordable enough for the Malaysian government to secure a sufficient supply for all 32 million of us. In the longer term, Malaysia will also have to consider mobilising its local drug manufacturing capabilities through public-private partnerships to produce affordable vaccines. It is important that the intellectual property rules for Covid-19 vaccines facilitate, rather than prevent this.
Free vaccine
Malaysia also needs to lay the groundwork to ensure the public’s ability to access the vaccine. There are two aspects to accessibility that we have to prepare for.
The first is logistics. Public healthcare officials need to learn from the challenges involved with conducting screening tests and the distribution of masks to the public to develop a strategy for the mass vaccination of the population.
Partnerships with the private healthcare sector, especially primary care clinics and pharmacies, will be vital to ensure a comprehensive coverage of the entire Malaysian population.
Community-based and mobile healthcare providers should also be engaged to reach people who are unable to easily leave their homes. If there aren’t enough doses immediately available for the entire population, then a plan needs to be developed to identify and prioritise those most in need.
The second aspect to accessibility is the affordability of the vaccine. The vaccine must be free to the public. The cost of vaccinating the entire population must be considered by the Malaysian government as a prerequisite investment to restart the Malaysian economy and to protect public health.
A public-private partnership also needs to be worked out where the vaccine can be provided to the public for free, with only minimal costs of administration and logistics to be borne by the government. It is important that the vaccine is free and that the cost of getting vaccinated as close to zero as possible.
Any cost associated with the vaccine creates a barrier among those who are most vulnerable. Any profiteering of the vaccine will not only be morally wrong but will also create a point of misinformation to be used by anti-vaccination groups.
Lastly, we need to ensure that the vaccine and our vaccination efforts do not fall victim to misinformation. There is no assurance that the public will unanimously accept a Covid-19 vaccine when one is available.
There will likely be concerns about the vaccine’s origins, its safety and its side effects especially among those with children, as well as the halal status of the vaccine and its components.
There may also be concerns about whether the vaccine was rushed through safety regulations and checks due to the global pressure for it. The Malaysian government, healthcare organisations, and all healthcare professionals will need to actively address these concerns and dispel any misinformation that may give rise to anti-vaccine sentiments.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done right now and we cannot wait for a vaccine to be developed before we start. The valiant efforts of our healthcare workers and the sacrifice of the public have bought us time to work on these issues. We cannot wait.
Having a vaccine will not be enough, only the successful vaccination of the population will allow us to emerge victorious.
DR MARK CHEONG WING LOONG is a lecturer at the School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
