-A +A Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (July 4): On Monday (July 5), Malaysia will receive one million doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine donated by the US, according to Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
These vaccine doses, he said, will substantially aid Malaysia’s immunization procedure and make significant progress toward the continuing roll-out of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
“On behalf of the Malaysian government, I’d like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to my counterpart, (US Secretary of State) Antony Blinken, and the United States government for the kind donation of its Covid-19 vaccines,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Malaysia is particularly grateful for the essential assistance provided by the United States through its embassy in Kuala Lumpur since the outbreak last year, including a $250,000 in-kind donation of medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and ICT equipment, according to the foreign minister.
He also expressed the hope that the close and friendly connections between the two countries would be strengthened further for the mutual benefit of both countries.
Malaysia stands ready to build all-round cooperation with the United States in vaccine research, development, and distribution, according to Hishammuddin, in the mutual aim of fair global access to the Covid-19 vaccinations.
He stated that in his June 4 letter to Blinken, he emphasized that Malaysia welcomed President Joe Biden’s June 3 statement of the US’ support for a temporary relaxation of intellectual property (IP) protection for Covid-19 vaccinations.
In his talk to the Nikkei International Conference in May 2021, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also stated Malaysia’s support for the IP protection waiver for Covid-19 vaccinations, according to Hishammuddin./n
