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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Monday that his country will start its first phase 3 clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines which involved a Chinese vaccine candidate following regulators' approval.

In a televised speech to announce tightened measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, Muhyiddin said the trials for the vaccine, developed by the Institute of Medical Biology under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, will start on Jan. 21.

The trials will involve 3,000 volunteers at nine government hospitals, following approval from Malaysia's National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, which granted its clinical trial import license for the trial, as well as the ethical approval, among others, from relevant bodies, he said.

Malaysia's government has signed a preliminary agreement with the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility and the drug makers of Pfizer and AstraZeneca for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine to ensure a vaccine supply that covers 40 percent of the population, Muhyiddin said.

The government is also in final negotiations with companies including Sinovac Biotech, CanSino Biologics from China to secure a vaccine supply of more than 80 percent for the country's total population. Enditem