By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Feb 3: The first of 400 healthy volunteers for the phase three clinical trial for a Covid-19 vaccine have received the vaccine shot at the Clinical Research Centre (CRC) of Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) today.
Minister for Local Government and Housing Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian shared this proud news via his Telegram today as Sarawak kicked started the Covid-19 vaccine trial today.
SGH is one of the nine public hospitals under the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the country selected to undertake the phase three clinical study of a Covid-19 vaccine developed in China.
“(It is a) Privilege and honour for CRC SGH to be one of the nine hospitals in Malaysia selected for the Covid-19 vaccine research from China.
“A total of 400 healthy volunteers joined and they will be selected in a 1:1 randomisation (one person receiving the actual vaccine and one person receiving a placebo).
“Thank you so much fellow Sarawakians for volunteering in this Chinese vaccine trial,” he commended in the message.
Meanwhile, this first clinical study conducted in Malaysia involved 3,000 volunteers across nine hospitals including Ampang Hospital (Kuala Lumpur), Sungai Buloh Hospital (Selangor), Pulau Pinang Hospital, Seberang Jaya Hospital (Penang), Taiping Hospital (Perak), Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (Kedah), Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (Perak) and Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital.
According to various news reports, the MOH had said the collaboration initiative between the government and the Chinese government through the Institute of Medical Biology Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS) serves to generate scientific evidence in the development of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
It said the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine uses an inactive vaccine platform made from viruses that are killed through physical or chemical processes and do not have the potential to cause diseases.
The same phase 3 trials will also be carried out in Brazil. Phase 1 and 2 trials have been conducted in China.
The volunteers would be given two doses over an interval of 14 days on the upper arm muscles and are required to attend six visits within two months, followed for 13 months.-DayakDaily
