BANGI: A total of 400,000 doses of A(H1N1) vaccine will be received the latest by early next year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
“We can only order a limited amount, as every country in the world is ordering the vaccine too. We are currently finding other firms that can provide the vaccine.
“We placed our order early and hope that we will receive it early,” he told reporters after launching Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) alumni bulletin yesterday.
“The World Health Organisation is not sure whether the vaccine is effective. It has to go through clinical trial.
“If if the virus mutates, the vaccine will not be effective. So we have to monitor from time to time,” said Liow.
He urged the public to take extra precaution during Ramadan.
“The Government wish that the public remember to maintain the standard of hygiene at the Ramadan bazaars,” he said.
Also at the launch was The Star’s group chief editor Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai who delivered his alumni lecture titled “New Malaysia: The Changing Political and Media Landscape.”
Both Liow and Wong are UKM alumni.
In his lecture, Wong talked about the political situation in a post-March 8.
“We have a more responsive government. For instance, they are willing to review the Internal Security Act,” he said, adding that media laws were being reviewed while the Government was considering allowing gatherings without permits at specific places.
Wong also shared his first-hand experiences on how new technologies and social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter had changed the face of local media.
He said most newspapers had already invested into multimedia, adding that their online portals also enjoyed a huge readership base.
Meanwhile, in Bukit Mertajam, Liow urged the public to use hand sanitisers to prevent the transmission of the A(H1N1) virus.
He said there were 380 new cases reported yesterday, bringing the total in the country to 5,876 cases to date. There were no deaths reported yesterday. - The Star.
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