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* Delivery map for vaccines needing ultra-cold storage
* Final talks with Russian and Chinese vaccine makers
* Aims to double AstraZeneca vaccines, buy more from Pfizer
* In talks with Moderna Inc, Johnson & Johnson
(Recasts, adds details on vaccine logistics)
By Liz Lee
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Malaysia said on Wednesday
it was talking with Pfizer and other companies to secure
more COVID-19 vaccine doses to cover 83% of its population, and
is drawing up plans to arrange ultra-cold storage in its
tropical heat.
The Southeast Asian nation says it has so far got enough
doses to inoculate 40% of its 32 million people, and has
promised to spend $500 million to buy enough vaccines.
The government, which has struck a deal to buy 12.8 million
doses of U.S. drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech's shot, said it was in
talks for an option to buy more doses to cover another fifth of
the population.
It is also in final talks to secure a total of 23.9 million
doses from Chinese manufacturers Sinovac Biotech Ltd and
CanSino Biologics, and from Russia's Gamaleya Institute, the
maker of the Sputnik V vaccine, Science Minister Khairy
Jamaluddin said.
It will secure additional AstraZeneca vaccines under
the global COVAX facility, and has begun talks with Moderna
and Johnson & Johnson as a buffer, the minister
added.
Malaysia, where temperatures average 30 degrees Celsius
year-round, wants to ensure a distribution network that does not
need to store vaccines for long, Khairy said.
"Once the Pfizer vaccines come in, we are hoping that it
will be a just-in-time roll out of vaccination," he said.
Pfizer's vaccines need to be stored and transported at minus
70 degrees Celsius (-94F), although they can be kept in a fridge
for up to five days, or up to 15 days in a thermal shipping box.
Some Asian countries have expressed reservations about the
Pfizer vaccine due to tropical heat, remote island communities
and a lack of ultra-cold freezers.
Malaysian's vaccine supply committee will identify
ultra-cold storage facilities and aims to stagger distribution
to ensure coverage in remote regions, ahead of the arrival of
Pfizer's first shipment in February, Khairy said.
Neighbouring Singapore was the first Asian nation to take
delivery of a batch of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday from
Belgium.
(Writing by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Michael
Perry abd Andrew Heavens)
