PUTRAJAYA: The shelf life for the Covid-19 vaccines used in Malaysia has been extended following new data submitted by the manufacturers, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.
“When the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) gives conditional approval, there is a rolling submission, such as the latest data available now (on the shelf life), we see that the vaccine is more stable.
“Hence, we are extending the expiry date of the vaccine vials from six months to one year, depending on the stability data we get from the manufacturers,” he told reporters.
Last November, Noor Hisham said that the NPRA had approved the extension for the shelf life of Sinovac’s CoronaVac and Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccines for six and three months, respectively, compared to the original date printed on the vial.
Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that Malaysia had five to six million doses of vaccines left in stock after expired doses were destroyed because of poor demand.
Noor Hisham said in December that only 49.8% of the population had received the first booster dose and 1.9% had received the second booster dose.
According to Dr Saidatul Norbaya Buang from the ministry’s family health development division, an average of 7,000 second booster doses were being administered daily now.
She said booster vaccinations were offered at 1,293 vaccination centres (PPVs) nationwide, namely at 104 hospitals, 754 clinics, and 435 private PPVs. - FMT
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