Your guide to Malaysia’s bets in the Covid-19 vaccine race

• UPDATED 9PM | AstraZeneca has announced some findings from its Phase III trial.

KINIGUIDE | As preliminary results trickle in from late-stage Covid-19 vaccine trials, Malaysia is also negotiating deals to secure enough doses to immunise its population against the disease.

The government has signed a five-year deal with China that would, among others, provide priority access to vaccines developed in China once they become available.

It is also fixing a date to sign the Optional Purchase Arrangement for the Covid-19 vaccine Global Access Facility (Covax) at the cost of a US$22.66 million (RM94.08 million) down payment.

Additionally, the Health Ministry said it is evaluating 10 out of the 11 Covid-19 vaccine candidates that are currently in Phase III clinical trials.

In this instalment of KiniGuide, we give a rundown of the vaccine candidates in the running, and how Malaysia is moving to ensure an adequate supply of the highly demanded resource.

When can I get one?

According to Health Minister Dr Adham Baba, Malaysia hopes to acquire the vaccines and make it available for use by the first quarter of next year.

Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who co-chairs a special committee with Adham to obtain the vaccines, said the first group to receive the vaccines will be...