SINGAPORE, January 11. /TASS/. The Malaysian authorities have entered the final stage of negotiations on the purchase of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the country’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address on Monday.

"The government is holding final negotiations with the Gamaleya Research Center," he said. Russia’s Gamaleya National Research Center is the developer of Sputnik V vaccine.

According to the Malaysian Prime Minister, his country also plans to purchase vaccines produced by Chinese companies Sinovac Biotech and CanSino.

Muhyiddin also noted that from January 21, the third phase of clinical trials of vaccines against coronavirus will start in nine hospitals in the country.

At the end of last year, the head of government spoke about the allocation of 3 billion ringgit ($700 mln) for the purchase of a vaccine against coronavirus.

Earlier on Monday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced the registration of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus by the Ministry of Health of the State of Palestine.

Sputnik V delivery to Palestine is planned for the first quarter of 2021, with the first batch expected to arrive within a month. Supplies of the vaccine will be facilitated by RDIF’s international partners in India, China, South Korea and other countries.

Sputnik V was registered under the same procedure earlier in Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia and Serbia.

Efficacy of Sputnik V is over 90%, with full protection against severe cases of COVID-19. The storage temperature of Sputnik V at +2+8 C means it can be stored in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure. The price of Sputnik V is less than $10 per shot, which makes it affordable around the world.