Speaking at an online ceremony to receive 300,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine from China on its arrival at KLIA today, he said it was still pending stability testing by NPRA.

He said that although the government also referred to vaccine assessments conducted elsewhere, the NPRA’s independent evaluation was to make sure it is safe for Malaysians.

“NPRA should not be rushed into giving approval for the sake of the vaccine,” he said. “It would never approve a vaccine that it finds unsafe or ineffective.”

When prompted, he informed the press that the third phase of clinical trials were going on at present. They were also still searching for older volunteers.

He also clarified that the vaccine would not be approved in batches and it rested entirely on how it tests for stability.

Khairy also said that given the news that Pfizer’s vaccine can be stored at higher temperatures, the manufacturer needed to re-submit new data to NPRA to renew its stability approval.

Khairy also clarified that people who are vaccinated will still need to follow the standard operating procedures set to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

He also advised Malaysians who preferred certain types of vaccines to have more faith in NPRA, warning that this preference may come at the cost of vaccination logistics and affect plans to ensure the safety of everyone.

China’s ambassador Ouyang Yujing, who was present during the arrival of the vaccine, said the Sinovac vaccine marked the first of many promising collaborations with Malaysia to come.