ISLAMABAD: While it is not known how much the Covid 19 vaccine will cost, Prime Minister Imran Khan has allocated $ 100 million to allow advance payment for immediate purchase of the vaccine.
According to the Dawn newspaper, it was also decided that different sections of society, such as the elderly, health professionals and people battling the deadly disease, would be given priority for the vaccine, which will be available in limited numbers this winter. Will be available.
However, so far no company has announced the cost of the vaccine, not to mention that not a single company has been approved to sell the vaccine because of limited clinical trial data.
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Although international companies Pfizer and BioNTech announced that in the third phase of clinical trials, their vaccine had a 90% success rate in preventing the disease in people who are still protected from the virus, Are in the process of collecting.
When the process is complete, they will submit the data to the US Food and Drug Authority and the European Union’s similar regulatory authority.
“This could take another four weeks,” said Asad Hafeez, vice-chancellor of the Health Services Academy (HSA) and a member of the National Vaccine Committee.
“Companies will get transit permission for immediate use or use of the vaccine and after a year they may get full approval to sell the vaccine, but it will not matter to the public whether the vaccine is transit or complete,” he said. To be sold under permission.
He also said that the Ministry of Health was in talks with half a dozen multinational companies to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
Responding to a question, Dr Hafeez said that the government was very close to finalizing the process of procurement of vaccines but it would take a few more months to get the vaccines.
A health ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was not yet possible to estimate the cost of the vaccine because there was no RNA for the vaccine in the world and we should not forget that commercial companies were developing vaccines and Despite the announcement that the vaccine will be available at a reasonable price, we should not expect it to be available to us at a modest price.
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On the other hand, Professor Javed Akram of the University of Health Sciences said that allocating funds for the purchase of vaccines is a positive development.
He also said that the government should ensure that the vaccine is effective for the people of Pakistan as it is possible that the vaccine would be more beneficial to the people of one region while it would be more beneficial to the people of another region. Reduce the effect of
He said that health workers, senior citizens, diabetics and heart patients should be given priority in vaccination.