UK to contribute 415,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA: The United Kingdom (UK) is to contribute 415,000 doses of the UK manufactured AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to Malaysia.

This was announced by UK's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Dominic Raab today in London.

Malaysia's Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein on behalf of the Malaysian government expressed his sincere gratitude to his UK counterpart for this generous contribution to Malaysia's National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP).

"This is the epitome of our long-standing and strong relationship that would further strengthen cooperation bilaterally and at various other levels," Hishammuddin said in the statement issued by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry..

Malaysia is highly appreciative of the invaluable support extended by the UK and believe that both countries could work together on many productive endeavours to weather the storm of this pandemic towards meaningful recovery.

This also includes collaboration on reciprocal vaccination arrangement and reciprocal travel bubble.

This contribution will assist in intensifying the daily vaccination rate of the ongoing Malaysia's National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP), he added.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur stated the UK will this week begin delivering nine million Covid-19 vaccines around the world, including to Malaysia to help tackle the pandemic, with five million doses being offered to COVAX.

The University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine donated to Malaysia is made by Oxford Biomedica in Oxford and packaged in Wrexham, North Wales.

This is the first tranche of the 100 million vaccines the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged the UK would share within the next year at last month's G7 in Cornwall, with 30 million due to be sent by the end of the year.

At least 80 million of the 100 million doses will go to COVAX, with the rest going to countries directly. The donations follow the pledge that G7 leaders made to vaccinate the world and end the pandemic in 2022.

In the same statement British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay said: "I am pleased that Malaysia is among the first to receive the vaccines from the UK on a bilateral basis. This vaccine donation reflects the UK's commitment to help our friends in Malaysia. We believe that this will give a boost to the ongoing vaccination rollout, and help protect more lives here.

-- BERNAMA