PUTRAJAYA, Jan 10 — The shelf life of the COVID-19 vaccines used in Malaysia has been extended after the manufacturing company submitted new data on the stability of the vaccine, said Health director-general, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
“When the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) gives conditional approval, there is a rolling submission such as the latest data is now available, 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 manufacturer,” he said at the Health Minister’s engagement session with the media here today.
In November last year, Dr Noor Hisham was reported to have said that the NPRA has approved an 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.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry’s (MOH) Public Health Physician (Family Health Development Division) Dr Saidatul Norbaya Buang said that an average of 7,000 second booster dose injections are administered daily.
She said booster vaccinations are offered at 1,293 vaccination centres (PPVs) nationwide, namely at 104 MOH hospitals, 754 clinics, and 435 private PPVs.
She added that individuals in the priority group can get the vaccinations without an appointment by walking in at hospitals, health clinics, or private PPVs, while other categories have to book an appointment through the MySejahtera application or call the PPV.
