The experimental Covid-19 vaccines developed by the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech will be available in Latvia at the same time as other European Union (EU) member states, although the exact time of their delivery is unknown, said in an interview with TV3 900 seconds President Krišjānis Kariņš (JV).
Kariņš said that the news about the effectiveness of the vaccine against Covid-19 is very fresh, so the Prime Minister has not answered all the questions, although it is known that the European Commission (EC) has already concluded negotiations with companies on supplying the vaccine to Europe.
“This is one of the most important news of the last six months, but there are still so many procedures that need to be done to get the vaccine to people. That is why we have to be patient and Latvia will receive the vaccine at the same time as the other EU countries, because we are also participating in a joint drug purchase campaign together with the EC, ”said the Prime Minister.
Asked whether a specific time is known when the vaccine could arrive in Latvia, Kariņš replied that it is not known, because until it is received there is a long way to go, ie the vaccine must receive all safety certificates, then the issues of its delivery and storage must be resolved. as it must be stored at minus 80 degrees. Although the distribution mechanism is the same for everyone, the amount required is huge, especially if it is known that one person needs two doses of the new vaccine.
“Therefore, it is too early to talk about specific delivery times, but the Ministry of Health is in constant contact with the EC to resolve these issues,” Kariņš added.
The European Commission (EC) has already reported that it has completed talks with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German company BioNTech to provide Europe with experimental doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by these companies, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
Read more – The EU has reached an agreement on Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines
European Union (EU) commissioners will approve the agreement on Wednesday, Erik Meimer said at a press conference in Brussels.
“Negotiations with the pharmaceutical industry are over,” a source told the news agency before the official statement to the news agency.
The EC has been negotiating with Pfizer and BioNTech for several months.
Following initial negotiations, the EC confirmed in September that it planned to provide up to 300 million doses of vaccine from these developers.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Monday that their jointly developed vaccine against the new coronavirus had shown 90% effectiveness against Covid-19 infection in the third phase of trials.
Both companies said they could ask the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for permission to use the vaccine next week.
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