What The World's First Vaccine Approval Means for Our Wait

As India gets ready to vaccinate nearly 30 crore people against Covid-19, it faces diverse challenges such as vaccine shortages, multiple vaccines, shortlisting priority populations, creating a pool of vaccinators and providing proper logistics and infrastructure support. Transparency and clear communication will, however, be the key to prepare Indians for a vaccine that is being developed in record time

- Namita Kohli

If 2020 started on a gloomy note on account of the threat of Covid-19, the year is closing on a hopeful one. On December 2, the world’s first vaccine against Covid-19, developed by American pharma giant Pfizer and German company BioNTech, received emergency authorisation in the UK, setting the stage for its immediate rollout.

The vaccine uses the mRNA technology platform and is reported to have 95 per cent efficacy in phase-III trials, but it faces significant distribution challenges. It must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, a temperature for which India’s cold chain network is not ready. Pfizer said the vaccine would be transported in thermal shippers using dry ice to maintain the required temperature. These can be used as temporary storage units for 15 days by topping up the dry ice. The company has set the initial price of the vaccine at $39 for the two-dose regimen.

As initial doses of the vaccine are pre-booked by countries such as the US and the UK, India is unlikely to get it soon. “Our doors are open for these vaccines, should the need and the possibilities arise,” said Dr Vinod K. Paul, chairman of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19, in a recent conversation with public health experts.