Malaysia buys additional 12.2 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

Medical worker collects a swab sample from a woman to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shah Alam

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Monday signed a deal to buy an additional 12.2 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by U.S. and German drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech, the health ministry said in a statement.

The deal brings the total amount of the Pfizer vaccines procured by Malaysia to 25 million doses, enough to cover 39% of its population, the ministry said.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Martin Petty)