Ministry of Health (MOH) is currently looking for healthy volunteers so that they could join the Phase III clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine that has been developed in China. MOH has posted the statement on their official Facebook social media platform on 15 of January 2021.
According to the posting, the vaccine has been developed by the Institute of Medical Biology Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS). The trial is expected to involve 3,000 volunteers, making Malaysia the first country outside China to conduct the trial of an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidates made by IMBCAMS.
According to the MOH statement on their Facebook post, “All regulatory requirements including ethical approval from the Medical Review and Ethics Committee (MREC), and finally the Clinical Trial Import Licence (CTIL) from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), have been obtained on 8 January”. Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has also announced on 11 January, stating that the phase III COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial will start on 21 January at nine MOH hospitals.
MOH stated that the vaccines will only be offered to healthy volunteers who are aged 18 years and above. For information of trial participants, they might be at potential risk such as swelling, redness over the skin and or feeling pain, itch at the injection site after the injection, and fatigue, fever, diarrhea, etc. On the positive side, there got more potential benefits such as gaining immunity towards COVID-19.
Sources: Facebook Ministry Of Health, Twitter Ministry Of Health.