In an update to the National Vaccine Development Roadmap (PPVN), Science, Technology, and Innovation Deputy Minister Ahmad Amzad Hashim revealed that researchers are currently working on COVID-19 vaccines that can be administered orally or through nasal sprays.
He said that different methods of vaccine administration were being studied for the sake of both children and adults who are afraid of needles. A nasal spray or an oral vaccine can provide an alternative for those who might be vaccine-hesitant due to that fear.
To recap, there are two COVID-19 vaccines being developed by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) — one that uses mRNA and one that is an inactivated vaccine. Ahmad said there are also four other COVID-19 vaccines in the works, funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI).
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PPVN is aimed at increasing Malaysia’s local capacity in the production of human vaccines over the next decade, with vaccines for cholera, as well as head and neck cancer set to go through trials this year. The deputy minister said that some local vaccine candidates have already passed the pre-clinical phase and would soon be tested on humans, with Malaysia’s first COVID-19 vaccine expected to be available in 2024.
(Source: Parlimen/YouTube — [1:23:00 – 1:35:15])
