As the Pfizer vaccine gains approval in the UK, the rest of the world prepares to address its own vaccination demand
In November, Pfizer and Biontech announced that after conducting their final efficacy analysis on their vaccine the product was 95% effective and, with no serious safety concerns raised by the Data Monitoring Committee observing the study, it was ready to be rolled out. With the consent of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK has become the first country in the world to approve the vaccine and is set to initiate mass vaccinations shortly as 800,000 doses arrive into the country.
This marks a very promising point in the battle against Covid-19 with other vaccinations set to follow soon after. In Russia, the Sputnik V vaccine has been given the green light, with President Putin declaring a start to mass immunization as early as 13 December. Meanwhile AstraZeneca, in partnership with the University of Oxford, have announced that their vaccine has an average efficacy of 70% in preventing the virus and is now submitting data for approval of their product around the world.
With the manufacturing of vaccines set to increase rapidly, concerns have now turned to transport logistics. The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at -70°C and will only survive for five days once thawed, creating a very difficult problem of distribution. Other vaccines do not require as extreme temperature storage, but they will still require adequate pharmaceutical facilities to support them. Shipping and aviation industries have been preparing to confront this problem for the last few months, but voices within the sector are cautious with the TIACA reporting in October that the industry was still only in the early stages of preparation.
This is particularly damaging for countries with less established infrastructure for which the vaccine may take longer to arrive, although COVAX; set up by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; has aimed to fairly distribute two billion vaccine doses to the developing world by the end of 2021. While the bulk of the first wave of vaccines have been snapped up by the wealthiest countries, the desire to support lower income countries has been reinforced at the G20 summit with leaders emphasising the need to provide global access to vaccinations.
There are promising signs from the Middle East as well. According to media reports Qater has struck deals with Moderna and Pfizer and could receive the first batch of doses by the end of the year. The minister for Health in Saudia Arabia recently announced his government’s target to vaccinate 70% of the population by the end of 2021 which will be free to access for all citizens residing in the kingdom. A similar pledge was also made by the Oman Ministry of Health, expecting its first doses this year, which has aimed to vaccinate 40% of its population in the first stage of distribution. Many low-income countries in the region will receive doses through the COVAX scheme with Lebanon reporting it has ordered enough vaccines to cover the most vulnerable 20% of its population.
