KUALA LUMPUR: Amid a backdrop of the mad rush for face masks and hand sanitisers in many parts of Asia in the wake of Covid-19 scare, Malaysia is facing a sever shortage of influenza A vaccines.

Although Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zulkefly Ahmad said on Jan 18 that 99,470 influenza A doses would be brought in within a month to meet the demand, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr N. Ganabaskaran said the market is still seriously short of the vaccines.

He said it was not known who received the latest batch of vaccines, adding that the authorities should be more transparent.

To this, Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said 90,000-odd influenza A vaccines imported in January were mostly distributed to private hospitals and clinics with a small percentage given to government frontline healthcare providers.

He explained that the Health Ministry was only responsible for approving the applications to import flu vaccines by private hospitals and clinics.

He said if private hospitals and clinics were facing a shortage of vaccines, it was a business issue between them and vaccine manufacturers.

According to a report in Sin Chew Daily, only two of the seven hospitals and clinics it contacted said they had a limited stock of influenza A shots while the rest said they were waiting for deliveries, which were expected to be between a week and two months. – The Sun