Pfizer "explores opportunity" in India to roll out the vaccine

Mumbai: As the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to authorise the use of the COVID19 vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech for emergency use. The vaccine maker firm said that is committed to collaborating with the Indian government to "explore opportunities" to roll out the vaccine in India. However, it will be a challenge for our country to store the vaccine as it requires -70 degrees for vaccine storage.

Roma Nair, the spokeswoman of Pfizer, said that they are committed to discussing the rolling out of the vaccine in India. They are also working with various governments around the world to understand the infrastructure requirements and then work on their plans.

Using advance purchase agreements, many countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union have pre-ordered a million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The US preordered 100 million doses, while EU and UK ordered 200 million and 40 million, respectively.

However, our country does not have any pre-order agreement with Pfizer for its vaccine as of now. The cost would basically be $ 40-50, which will be Rs 2,950 to 3,700 in Indian currency. It is quite unaffordable for developing countries. NK Ganguly, the former director-general of ICMR said that the entire production of Pfizer For 2021 is booked for the rich countries of the world. It is unfeasible for India to pre-book the vaccines as it does not have an ultra-cold storage system, and also because the price of the vaccine is not affordable by a common Indian.

After approval of this vaccine in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, "It's the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again."

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