Man harvests the magic of mushroom farming as second income

 

Compiled by LIEW JIA XIAN and BENJAMIN LEE

WHILE many people see mushrooms as just food, Hasrulizad Hasmuti saw them as an opportunity for a secondary source of income.

19 Jul 2022

The farm foreman at Felda Tenggaroh 5 in Johor said he had always been interested in growing mushrooms, so he started doing it at the site of a former petrol station in his village during his free time.

He invested RM400 and scored double returns of RM800.

“After I saw the amount I earned from the first batch, I bought more blocks so that I could grow more mushrooms, and now I can earn up to RM7,000 a month from the business,” the 42-year-old told Utusan Malaysia.

The father of four also said it was easy to grow and harvest mushrooms compared with other corps.

“When I come back from work, I would stop by the mushroom farm to tend to it for a while.

“It is really simple. I do not need to use any pesticides or buy big farming tools or equipment.

“The only tricky part is keeping the temperature consistently cold to ensure the best quality,” he added.

Hasrulizad said he was now using his knowledge and experience to help others in his area and hoped that more people would become mushroom entrepreneurs like him.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/07/19/man-harvests-the-magic-of-mushroom-farming-as-second-income

Mushroom farming brings siblings RM10,000 a month

 

Handsome harvest: Muhamad Lokman Hakim with his sisters Puteri Nurin Sabirah (centre) and Puteri Nurin Darwisyah proudly showing the oyster mushrooms they cultivate in Kuala Krai, Kelantan. — Bernama

• Friday, 16 Sep 2022

• 
  

KUALA KRAI: Three siblings from Kampung Desa Kasih here have been generating almost RM10,000 a month from the sale of oyster mushrooms that they have been cultivating since last year.

Muhamad Lokman Hakim Md Sabri, who is a technician, said he had initially cultivated oyster mushrooms just to fill his spare time. Eventually, his two sisters, Puteri Nurin Darwisyah, 23, and Puteri Nurin Sabirah, 20, decided to help him cultivate the mushrooms as a side income.

“We started buying blocks of oyster mushrooms at RM1.60 per unit and as of now we have 3,000 blocks,” he told Bernama at his residence here yesterday.

Muhamad Lokman Hakim, 25, said residents and traders around Kuala Krai kept them busy as they had to meet the demand of nearly 30kg of mushrooms per day.

“We did not expect the sale of oyster mushrooms to be so popular, and in addition to having regular customers, we also sell them online using social media platforms to increase our income.

“To get maximum yield and quality, the temperature of the mushroom nursery or house needs to be humid. The environment must be clean too,” he said, adding that he harvested the mushrooms twice a day, in the morning and evening.

Muhamad Lokman Hakim expressed hope that he would receive assistance from related agencies as he was planning to sell blocks of oyster mushrooms to help anyone interested in mushroom cultivation.

“To produce oyster mushroom blocks, we need three materials, which are rubber wood dust, rice bran and agricultural lime, which are all mixed and blended using a machine. The material is steamed for six hours in a barrel and then cooled for 24 hours. After that, it is stored in a humid temperature room,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/09/16/mushroom-farming-brings-siblings-rm10000-a-month?

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Striking big with guavas

 MELAKA: After facing difficulties in selling vegetables and losing thousands of ringgit each day following the movement control order last year, Abdul Halim Abdullah decided to turn to Lohan guava (GU16) farming.

1 Nov 2021

Sweet return: Abdul Halim checking the quality of a guava at his farm in Kampung Tengah, Pulau Gadong in Melaka. — Bernama

Abdul Halim, 45, who has been cultivating vegetables such as chillies and eggplants for the past 13 years, said he made the decision after income from his telecommunications contractor job also suffered during the MCO period.

He now concentrates fully on Lohan guava or jambu batu cultivation.

Today, he has three farms over a ​​2.83ha area around Kampung Tengah, Pulau Gadong here, which are planted with about 1,000 trees.

“In the beginning, there were endless problems including issues over marketing which resulted in the fruits going to waste until I began to collaborate with the Melaka Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama).

“Alhamdulillah, the guava trees that I planted have reached maturity and can produce two tonnes of fruits to enable me to generate an income of RM10,000 a week,” Abdul Halim told Bernama at his farm in Pulau Gadong here.

Apart from supplying them to Fama in Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, he also supplies his farm produce to about 50 small traders and a wholesaler in the state.

According to Abdul Halim, the eight-tonne monthly supply was at times not sufficient for markets outside Melaka, so he was currently working on a GU16 pilot project with six friends for the cultivation of 2,000 trees on a 3.24ha site in Jalan Setulang Daeng, Bukit Rambai.

“The group project took off in early October and the trees are being planted in stages and will be fully completed by December.

“This would be followed by another project on a 6.47ha site in Bukit Katil early next year,” he said.

“The projects are implemented to meet the growing demand for Lohan guava and my aim is to produce at least 10 tonnes of guava a week by the end of next year,” said Abdul Halim, who comes from a family of farmers.

He now has four full-time employees, including a person with disabilities, to assist him in the three farms.

Abdul Halim said he initiated the group farming project to share his experience and help his friends generate good income equivalent to that of professional workers.

“Growing vegetables and growing Lohan guava is different especially in terms of capital, workload and burden of risk,” he said, adding that he has never regretted switching to guava cultivation.

He has received encouraging responses on the quality of the Lohan guava from buyers who have now become his regular customers as the fruits are sweet, crunchy and juicy.

In terms of pricing, Abdul Halim said the guavas were sold directly from the farms at RM5 per kilogramme for A-grade fruits, while B-grade ones were sold at RM4 and C-grade, at RM3.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/11/01/striking-big-with-guavas?

3 drugs for treating Covid-19

 Remdesivir, dexamethasone and baricitinib represent the best therapeutic approaches for Covid-19 and have helped reduce viral loads, decrease inflammation and ease symptoms in hospitalised patients.

By Tharanya Arumugam - July 26, 2021 @ 9:40am

New Straits Times

Medical frontliners arriving at the Covid-19 Assessment Centre at Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam on Saturday. -NSTP/ASYRAF HAMZAH

KUALA LUMPUR: Remdesivir, dexamethasone and baricitinib represent the best therapeutic approaches for Covid-19 and have helped reduce viral loads, decrease inflammation and ease symptoms in hospitalised patients.

Public health medicine specialist Associate Professor Dr Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki of University Malaya Medical Centre said remdesivir (an anti-viral agent that scientists initially designed to treat Ebola) and dexamethasone (an anti-inflammatory medication) were considered the best available treatment options for Covid-19 pneumonia.

"Remdesivir is likely to be most effective in the early stage of pneumonia, whereas dexamethasone is likely to be most effective later in the disease's course.

"Baricitinib hopes to fill the gap or unmet need of providing efficacious therapies for the grey zone between remdesivir and dexamethasone," she told the New Straits Times.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had on July 23 said health facilities would start administering baricitinib to Covid-19 patients, especially those in categories four and five (patients with lung infections and require oxygen or ventilators).

Category one patients are asymptomatic, while those in Category two display mild symptoms. Category three patients suffer from pneumonia and lung infection.

Dr Noor Hisham had said baricitinib, also a drug approved for use in patients with moderate to severe arthritis who have had an inadequate response to other treatments, had been proven to be more effective in treating infected patients, along with dexamethasone.

Dr Rafdzah, who is head of the Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,  said two main processes were thought to drive Covid-19's pathogenesis.

She said that early in the clinical course, the disease was primarily driven by the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, while later in the clinical course, it appeared to be driven by a dysregulated immune/inflammatory response to the virus that led to tissue damage.

"Based on this understanding, it is anticipated that therapies that directly target SARS-CoV-2 would have the greatest effect early in the course of the disease, while immune-suppressive/anti-inflammatory therapies are likely to be more beneficial in the later stages of Covid-19.

"Baricitinib is a drug that reduces the activity of the immune system. As an anti-inflammatory, it may block the signalling activity that can contribute to the hyper-inflammatory state caused by a severe Covid-19 infection."

Dr Rafdzah said besides Malaysia, the United States' National Institutes of Health and Singapore's National Centre for Infectious Diseases had recently included baricitinib in their treatment guidelines for Covid-19.

Japan had approved the use of the rheumatoid drug for treating Covid-19 patients.

"The use of baricitinib together with remdesivir have been found to be superior to remdesivir alone in reducing recovery time and accelerating improvement in clinical status among Covid-19 patients, especially among those receiving high-flow oxygen or non-invasive ventilation.

"The combination of baricitinib and remdesivir is associated with fewer serious adverse events."

On calls for ivermectin to be included as part of the country's list of treatments for Covid-19, Dr Rafdzah said the evidence on the use of the drug to treat Covid-19 patients was inconclusive.

Most studies looking at ivermectin and Covid-19 had incomplete information and significant methodological limitations and bias, she said.

"Some of the limitations include the sample size of most of the trials, which was small, and some of the randomised controlled trials were open-label studies, where neither the participants nor the investigators were blinded to the treatment arms.

"Besides, patients received various concomitant medications (for example, doxycycline, hydroxychloroquine, and corticosteroids) in addition to ivermectin or the comparator drug. This confounded the assessment of the efficacy or safety of ivermectin.

"The severity of Covid-19 among the study participants was not always well described, and the study outcome measures were not always clearly defined. Therefore, until more data is available, the drug is only approved to be used within clinical trials."

She added that the US Food and Drug Administration had not approved ivermectin for use in treating or preventing Covid-19 in humans.

"Ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and there are also topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin.

"Ivermectin is not an anti-viral (a drug for treating viruses). Taking large doses of this drug is dangerous."

Epidemiologist and biostatistician Professor Dr Jamalludin Ab Rahman from International Islamic University Malaysia said doctors should not rush to administer ivermectin, but instead wait until the clinical trials conducted by the Health Ministry were completed.

"Most countries are not using ivermectin. This pandemic is testing many so-called scientists and experts.

"We should be patient and go back to the fundamentals of evidence-based medicine.

"This practice is confusing the public because even experts can't agree on certain standards and are still citing conspiracies.

"I praise the ministry for sharing the data on Covid-19 recently, which is an important progress in battling the pandemic.

"Now, many epidemiologists, statisticians and data scientists, locally or abroad, are looking for trends and any information that can assist the government."

ANTI-VIRAL AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS

MORE NEWS

• 'More studies needed on Ivermectin'

• Hospitals to start using Baricitinib for Covid-19 treatment

• Thailand to buy 200 million vaccine doses as precautionary measure

• Covid-19: 'No clinical data to prove efficacy of Ivermectin'

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/07/711677/3-drugs-treating-covid-19

BioNTech shot produces 10 times more antibodies than Sinovac, study finds

(July 16): There is a substantial gap in the amount of antibodies that mRNA and inactivated vaccines can generate against the virus that causes Covid-19, according to a Hong Kong study, in the latest finding on what may have contributed to the varied outcomes following mass vaccination using different types of shots.

Bloomberg

/

Bloomberg

July 16, 2021 13:16 pm +08

The research, published in The Lancet on Thursday, found that antibody levels among Hong Kong health workers who have been fully vaccinated with BioNTech SE's mRNA shot are about 10 times higher than those observed in the recipients of the inactivated vaccine from Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

While disease-fighting antibodies don’t account for the full picture when it comes to measuring the ability to generate immunity and the effectiveness of Covid vaccines, “the difference in concentrations of neutralizing antibodies identified in our study could translate into substantial differences in vaccine effectiveness,” the researchers said.

The finding adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting the superiority of mRNA vaccines in providing potent and comprehensive protection against Sars-CoV-2 and its variants, compared to vaccines developed by more traditional methods such as inactivated shots.

Countries from Israel to the US that have relied mostly on mRNA vaccines from Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech, as well as Moderna Inc, have seen a marked reduction in infections. Those using mostly inactivated shots from China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm haven’t experienced as much of a dent in case numbers, though the use of both kinds has significantly prevented more severe Covid and fatalities.

The lower effectiveness of inactivated vaccines has prompted countries from Thailand to the United Arab Emirates to offer already fully vaccinated people another booster shot as the more infectious delta variant fuels a resurgence in infections.

The Hong Kong study also suggested that future research could look into how booster shots can shore up antibody levels and protection among people vaccinated with inactivated shots.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/biontech-shot-produces-10-times-more-antibodies-sinovac-study-finds

ALSO:

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/malaysia-stop-using-sinovac-vaccine-after-supply-ends-says-health-minister

*08.05.21 Authoritarian states to subvert democracy are using COVID vaccines

Mitigating the risks of authoritarian-sourced vaccine distribution

Kevin Sheives and Ryan Arick

May 8, 2021 05:00 JST

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Authoritarian-states-are-using-COVID-vaccines-to-subvert-democracy

Boxes of Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac vaccine arrive in a Chinese military aircraft at an air base in Pasay, Metro Manila, on Feb. 28: Chinese vaccines have become not just tools for influence but leverage.   © Reuters

Kevin Sheives is the Associate Director and Ryan Arick is the Program Assistant at the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy.

China and Russia are engaged in a diplomatic offensive to gain maximum advantage from the global distribution of their vaccines. Asia -- along with Latin America and Africa -- is poised to be a major recipient of these vaccines.

China has already supplied over 240 million doses (and counting) to at least 78 countries, while Russia has supplied 12.8 million doses to over 30 countries at a far slower rate. Regrettably, elements within these authoritarian governments have coopted these vaccine distribution pipelines to serve their regime's interests and, in some cases, favored those interests over those of recipient populations desperately in need of vaccination.

For authoritarian countries involved in global vaccine diplomacy, these tools meant to strengthen their soft power are often exploited to become sharp.

In our research over the past year assessing COVID-19's impact on democracy, we've identified four problems in vaccine diplomacy patterns from authoritarian governments: 

• they spread outright disinformation about Western vaccines, 
• prioritize being first over being trustworthy, 
• target political elite networks for early access, and 
• secure unrelated political interests in exchange for vaccines.

First, as vaccines began to be developed, authorities in Russia and China employed information manipulation strategies to sow distrust in Western vaccines.

U.S. officials alleged that Russian intelligence agencies launched online disinformation campaigns to weaken confidence in Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, openly question the validity of clinical trials, and overemphasize the vaccine's reported side effects. A Beijing-organized propaganda network spread misinformation and disinformation on social media quickly after Pfizer reported its clinical data, while its diplomats quickly amplified these manufactured social media posts.

These disinformation networks aren't occasional gaffes or examples of officials caught off-script. They're coordinated, government-driven campaigns against proven competitor vaccines.

With authoritarian governments, it can be difficult to sort fact from fiction, and science from propaganda. Just a day after Gao Yu, the head of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, acknowledged the country's vaccines had lower than expected efficacy rates and suggested mixing doses, China's propaganda system quickly moved to shoehorn his scientific analysis into the Chinese Communist Party-preferred narrative on the vaccines. Gao's comments were censored on China's news and social media platforms, and the state tabloid Global Times spun Gao's comments as referring to "all vaccines," not China's.

Secondly, authoritarian governments prioritize speed and "being first" over following scientific and international norms that build trust in public health initiatives.

Russia launched its COVID-19 vaccine in August, named "Sputnik-V" in honor of the Soviet Union's 1957 success in deploying its Sputnik satellite to outer space before the West. The Sputnik V vaccine was launched before proper testing was completed and the Russian program attempted to steal research from Western institutions.

A health worker receives a dose of Sputnik V in Caracas, Venezuela, on Feb. 23: the vaccine was launched before proper testing was completed.   © Getty Images

Russia's chief sovereign wealth funder of the vaccine put it best: "Americans were surprised when they heard Sputnik's beeping. It's the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first."

Russia immediately distributed these untested Sputnik-V doses to its allies Guinea and Venezuela. Countries that have since purchased the Russian vaccine experienced delayed shipments in receiving their doses. Airfinity, a London-based science analytics company, estimates Russia has only supplied 12.8 million doses after an initial pledge of 605 million doses.

As noted in the article "China cannot win the great vaccine diplomacy game without vaccines" published by Nikkei Asia on Apr. 18, concerns have arisen around the efficacy and supply capacity of China's vaccines. These failings have left recipient countries frustrated and openly critical of these unexpected shortfalls.

Russia and China also have targeted elites for early access to COVID-19 vaccines. This practice is consistent with Beijing and Moscow's preference to offer privileged engagement with political elites as a mechanism for influence and leverage.

In Peru, Beijing provided early vaccine access to high-ranking government officials and their patronage networks ahead of more vulnerable populations. Leaders in the Philippines, Venezuela, and Uganda, who received early shipments of China's Sinovac vaccines, prioritized their patronage networks and security personnel over the elderly and medical professionals.

Lastly, in China's case, vaccines are bargaining chips central to transactions where political favors are expected in return for the purchase or donation of doses. Once again, public health goals are made secondary to the regime's foreign policy demands.

Paraguay's Foreign Ministry accused brokers of offering China-made vaccines in exchange for severing ties with Taiwan. China rewarded Guyana with an increased vaccine supply after Guyana withdrew from an agreement with Taiwan that would establish a new Taiwan representative's office. Brazil reversed its earlier position on allowing China's Huawei to compete in Brazil as a potential 5G telecommunications infrastructure provider, likely in exchange for access to Sinovac vaccines. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi promised Malaysia access to COVID vaccines, but then immediately asked for the release of Chinese fishermen arrested for trespassing in Malaysia's maritime waters. Beijing's vaccines have become not just tools for influence, but leverage.

As countries around the world accept these authoritarian-sourced vaccines to fill gaps in global vaccine distribution, they must not trade away their democratic principles and interests in the process.

Extravagant shows of affection for these vaccines, as in Serbia, can serve as propaganda tools for authoritarian leaders back in Moscow or Beijing. Political leaders and public health experts should maintain strict demands for testing, transparency, and data-sharing.

Journalists and activists should look closely at the points of entry for China's and Russia's vaccines to uncover pressure on political elites or quid pro quo arrangements meant to secure doses. State officials should understand the lasting political risks that can accompany deals for authoritarian-sourced vaccines. Social and traditional media platforms should continue applying content moderation rules to combat disinformation peddling false narratives about well-tested vaccines.

The goal for vaccine distribution is to build public trust and defeat COVID-19, not to burnish authoritarian egos and regime interests. Without these mitigating measures, jabs to the arms around the world ultimately will be jabs to democratic practice.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Authoritarian-states-are-using-COVID-vaccines-to-subvert-democracy

11.05.21 290,480 vials of Sinovac vaccine bottled by Pharmaniaga to be used from today, says Health Minister

 A total of 290,480 vials of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine bottled by Pharmaniaga Bhd will be used at vaccination centres (PPV) nationwide starting today, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said. 

It is the first batch handed over by the company to the Ministry of Health (MoH), he said. 

May 11, 2021 17:58 pm +08

BERNAMA

“We are now in the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. As reported, we received 400,000 doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine supply directly from Beijing, China.

“The remaining vials from the first batch will also be used at PPV this month," he told a press conference after the handover ceremony of the Sinovac vaccine in Malaysia undertaken through the "fill and finish" process here. 

In February, Pharmaniaga's wholly-owned subsidiary Pharmaniaga LifeScience Sdn Bhd (PLS) received 200 litres or the equivalent of 300,000 doses of the first batch of supply of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in bulk for the batch manufacturing validation process.

It was a historic moment for Malaysia and an equally important one for the company in its efforts to pioneer vaccine production and as the first vaccine factory to undertake the "fill and finish" process in Malaysia.

To ensure sufficient supply of the Covid-19 vaccine, Adham said the government is also constantly in talks with the manufacturers of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and had also targeted to receive 3.97 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine between April and June.

Meanwhile, Pharmaniaga group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said to date, PLS had submitted the first four batches for validation and quality control purposes by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).

“After undergoing several quality control tests according to NPRA regulations, Alhamdulillah, the 'fill and finish' vaccine produced by PLS was approved by the Malaysian Drug Control Authority (DCA) on April 23," he said.

Zulkarnain said "fill and finish" vaccine production is now at its maximum level and PLS is capable of producing two million doses of the vaccine a month.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/290480-vials-sinovac-bottled-pharmaniaga-be-used-today

RELATED NEWS

• 27 February 2021
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• 19 April 2021
  Malaysia scheduled to receive 500,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine in May, supplies to be sent in batches on weekly basis, says Khairy
• 12 January 2021
  Pharmaniaga secures 14 mil vaccine doses from Sinovac, to be distributed by end-March
• 27 February 2021
  Sinovac vaccine manufacturing process to be evaluated first for approval,

19.04.21 Khairy: 2.25 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Arriving April, May

 Malaysia’s total Pfizer vaccine supply for April is 712,530 doses, while May will see delivery of 1,038,960 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 500,000 doses of the finished Sinovac vaccine, totalling 2,251,490 doses.

By Ashswita Ravindran | 19 April 2021

Phase 2 of the National Covid-19 Immunisation programme kicked off on April 19, 2021. Picture from Ministry of Information Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 — Malaysia is receiving about 2.25 million coronavirus vaccine doses this month and in May, Vaccine Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today. 

Khairy, during a joint Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) press conference, said that this week, Malaysia will be receiving three more shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine — 128,700 doses on April 21, then 36,270 doses on April 22, and 12,870 doses on April 23. 

“As mentioned last week, the total supply of Pfizer that we will be receiving for April is 712,530 doses,” Khairy said.

Meanwhile, for the month of May, 1,038,960 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 500,000 doses of the finished Sinovac vaccine will be sent to Malaysia. 

“The supply will be sent in batches on a weekly basis.”

Currently, 37.1 per cent of the 18 and above population nationwide have registered for Covid-19 vaccination, or some 8.99 million adults. The second phase of the national Covid-19 vaccination programme for vulnerable groups kicked off today.

Khairy also said that local biopharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga Bhd has 1,800 litres of the bulk form of China’s Sinovac vaccine, which can produce up to 2.6 million doses. 

“However, this supply from Pharmaniaga is still pending approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), product validation for the fill-and-finish facility,” Khairy added.

Khairy previously explained that Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination rate is based on the current supply and that Malaysia will only be able to get enough supply for 80 per cent of the population by October. He also said that vaccine supply will match demand from June onwards. 

https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/04/19/khairy-2-25-million-covid-19-vaccine-doses-arriving-april-may/

Khairy: Early Vaccine Registration Doesn’t Mean Early Jabs

The 5 Covid-19 Vaccines In Malaysia's National Vaccination Programme

Quick facts from Malaysia's National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook on the Covid-19 vaccines that will be used in our national vaccination plan which is expected to start rolling out on February 26

By Tania Jayatilaka

February 17, 2021

A vial of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine (Photo: Zsolt Szigetvary/various sources/ AFP)

On February 16, 2021, Malaysia's National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook (which can be downloaded at www.vaksincovid.gov.my) was launched in a virtual ceremony by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who also mentioned that the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines were expected to arrive in Malaysia earlier than expected on February 21, 2021.

See also: What You Need To Know About Malaysia’s Covid-19 Vaccine Programme

The handbook, which was published by the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV), offers key information about the government's Covid-19 immunisation strategy, which groups will be vaccinated first, how to register for the programme and what the public should know about the five varieties of Covid-19 vaccines purchased for this plan. According to the handbook, the government aims for at least 80 per cent of Malaysia's adult population to be vaccinated by February 2022 to reduce the spread of this virus.

 
From dosage to efficacy rates, here's what the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook says about the five vaccines that will soon arrive in Malaysia.

1/5
Pfizer-BioNTech

Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP

Country of origin: US

Total no. of doses ordered: 32 million

Type: Pfizer-BioNTech is a messenger RNA or mRNA vaccine which instructs the body's cells to produce a protein that triggers an immune response. A Covid-19 mRNA vaccine teaches our cells to produce a 'spike protein' which is found on the surface of the coronavirus. The body's immune system then recognises this protein and develops an antibody to protect against it. Unlike traditional vaccines, this type contains only synthetic components, not a live virus.

Pfizer-BioNTech boasts an efficacy of 95 per cent and must be administered in two doses. However, storage and logistics for this particular vaccine are costly as the doses must be kept in a special cold environment with a temperature of -75°C.

See also: Where To Get Tested For Covid-19 In Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya

2/5
AstraZeneca

Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP

Country of origin: UK

Total no. of doses ordered: 12.8 million

Type: The AstraZeneca vaccine is a viral vector vaccine, jointly produced by UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University. It uses a modified virus to deliver a small portion of the virus' genetic code to the body's cells, teaching them to produce the spike protein found in the coronavirus and build an immune response to it. This vaccine must also be administered in two doses and has an efficacy rate of 62 per cent to 90 per cent.

See also: What These Alumni Of Top International Schools In Malaysia Have Done To Fight Covid-19

3/5
Sinovac


Photo: Wang Zhao/AFP

Country of origin: China

Total no. of doses ordered: 12 million

Type: The Sinovac vaccine is an inactivated vaccine, which means it uses killed virus particles to trigger the body's immune response to a virus. Suitable for those with weak immune systems, Sinovac's vaccine has an efficacy of 50.4 per cent to 91.25 per cent, and is currently being used in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Brazil, Cambodia, Turkey and Chile.

Related: Travelling During Covid-19: What You Should Know

4/5
CanSino Biologics

Country of origin: China

Total no. of doses ordered: 3.5 million

Type: Chinese pharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics co-developed this vaccine with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. It's currently in use in China, Mexico and Pakistan. The CanSinoBIO vaccine is also a viral vector vaccine and the only vaccine among the five listed in the handbook that can be administered in one shot. It has a 65.7 per cent efficacy rate.

5/5
Sputnik V

Country of origin: Russia

Total no. of doses ordered: 6.4 million

Type: A viral vector vaccine by Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute, the Sputnik V shot is administered in two doses around 21 days apart. It boasts an efficacy of 91.6 per cent and is being used in Russia, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina and Belarus. Like the AstraZeneca, Sinovac and CanSinoBIO vaccines, the Sputnik V vaccine can be stored in standard refrigerators at temperatures of -2°C to -8°C, making them easier and cheaper to transport compared to the Pfizer vaccine.

Related: Dr Amalina Bakri On Lessons From The Covid-19 Frontline

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