WHO gets 40 million doses of Pfizer vaccine for Covax

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pfizer laboratory announced on Friday an agreement to provide 40 million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 vaccine for the poorest countries, through the Covax system.

“I am proud to announce that Covax has signed an agreement with Pfizer / BioNTech for 40 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland, told reporters.

The doses of the vaccine – with an efficacy of 95% – will be supplied “at cost price” and should be delivered in the first quarter, said the head of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, during a WHO press conference.

The Covax system, put in place to try to allow a fair distribution of vaccines, aims to get enough vaccines this year for the 20% of the most vulnerable population in all countries, rich or poor.

The Covax system, co-led by WHO, the GAVI Vaccination Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), has reached agreements with manufacturers for 2 billion doses.