A nurse administers the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine to Margaret Keenan , 90, at University Hospital in Coventry, central England on December 8, 2020. PHOTO | AFP
The multinational drug firm said it is negotiating with Kenya and other African countries for governments to acquire and approve its vaccine in the global race for mass immunisation against Covid-19.
Kenya says it has set aside Sh10 billion to cover 10 percent of the population and prefers Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine because it is cheaper and easier to store compared to Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna vaccines.
Pfizer has priced its vaccine at $39 (Sh4,350) for a two-dose course given three weeks apart and the vaccine needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celcius or below.
US drug maker Pfizer is lobbying the Kenyan government to include its vaccine as part of the Sh10 billion mass inoculation that has seen Nairobi favour rival firm, AstraZeneca.
The multinational drug firm said it is negotiating with Kenya and other African countries for governments to acquire and approve its vaccine in the global race for mass immunisation against Covid-19.
Kenya says it has set aside Sh10 billion to cover 10 percent of the population and prefers Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine because it is cheaper and easier to store compared to Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna vaccines.
Pfizer has priced its vaccine at $39 (Sh4,350) for a two-dose course given three weeks apart and the vaccine needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celcius or below.
The Oxford vaccine, at a price of around Sh454 (3 sterling pounds)and can be stored in a regular fridge temperature while Moderna's Sh3788 (25 sterling pounds) vaccines needs minus 20 degrees Celcius storage.
“In line with our commitment to equitable access, Pfizer has and continues to engage with governments across sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya included) to understand how we can support their Covid-19 vaccines strategies,” Pfizer said in an e-mail response.
“It should however be noted that decisions regarding when a country will procure a vaccine and which vaccine they will procure are up to the respective governments and regulatory authorities (in this case the Pharmacy and Poisons Board).”
The comments came a day after Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced a consignment of the Covid-19 vaccine is expected in Kenya next month.
CS Kagwe said Kenya has ordered 24 million free doses of the vaccine from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) as the government also explores ways of partnering with Chinese organisations that have developed Covid-19 jabs.
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