Page 166 - MALAYSIA HEALTH SECTOR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD

The Malaysian government had allocated RM3 billion in the 2021 Budget to
procure COVID-19 vaccines . Furthermore, several initiatives had been
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planned to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among Malaysians. Tax relief of
RM1,000 would be applied to taxpayers, their spouses, and children for
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vaccination, including that for COVID-19 . The costs for COVID-19
treatment and vaccination for parents of taxpayers could also be tax
deducted up to RM8,000 under the expenses for medical, special needs, and
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parental care .

National vaccine roadmap

In November 2021, the National Science Council had agreed to develop a
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national vaccine development roadmap . The roadmap's objective is to
mould Malaysia as a country that can manufacture human vaccines within
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the next ten years and reduce its dependency on foreign countries. This
roadmap, a public-private partnership through ecosystem governance and
strategic approach, would consider the status of research and developments
of vaccines in Malaysia and local industries’ vaccine production capabilities
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to manufacture human vaccines in Malaysia . Under this roadmap, the
facilities for human vaccine manufacturing and clinical trials (pre, first and
third phases) in Malaysia will be upgraded .
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Currently, at the time of writing, the IMR is conducting a study to generate
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a potential RNA-based vaccine against the COVID-19 virus . Another
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currently ongoing collaboration study by IMR, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
and the Veterinary Research Institute is being conducted to develop an
autogenous inactivated COVID-19 vaccine and a vaccine research module
serving as a platform for future research in gearing towards the
preparedness for novel pandemics hereafter.

Perception and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination among the
general population of Malaysia

A study by Institute for Clinical Research (ICR) was performed to gauge the
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perception and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination among Malaysia's
general population, which coincided with the soon-to-be-available COVID-
19 vaccines in the Malaysian market. The study showed that despite the
public perceiving the vaccines as high risk, trust in the government, a

130 EVIDENCE-BASED RESPONSES TO THE THIRD COVID-19 WAVE IN MALAYSIA

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