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Malaysia to double AstraZeneca vaccine order
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published : 23 Dec 2020 at 16:57
5 A small shopping basket filled with vials labeled Covid-19 - Coronavirus Vaccine and medical syringes are placed on an AstraZeneca logo in this illustration made Nov 29, 2020. (Reuters file photo)
Malaysia is set to secure an additional 6.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine via the global Covax facility, and is in talks with Pfizer Inc on an option to boost its purchases, as the nation bolsters its fight against the pandemic.
The deal will see the nation doubling its order from the UK-based drugmaker, with the first batch to arrive in the second quarter of 2021, Science and Technology Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a televised briefing Wednesday.
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Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s religious authorities have decided that the Covid-19 vaccine is allowed and is mandatory for some groups.
This view has been relayed to the Council of Rulers, Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said in a statement on Wednesday, amid concern among local Muslims that the shots could contain substances forbidden by Islam.
The use of vaccines to protect Muslims from fatal diseases was not unusual in Islamic law, the minister said. He cited six instances between 1988 and 2013 when they were given to prevent infections from Hepatitis B to Meningitis Menveo.
The Special Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Malaysian Islamic Affairs, which met on Dec. 3, is of the opinion that the Covid vaccine must be given to groups identified by the government, Zulkifli said.