Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine: Why is Getting The Vaccine a Challenge For India? AIIMS Delhi Director Randeep Guleria Explains
Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at -70C which is a huge challenge for a developing nation like India where there will be difficulties in maintaining a cold chain, especially on rural missions.
New Delhi, November 11: The news of Pfizer seeing success with its COVID-19 vaccine has brought cheer to the market. However, there are certain challenges and one of which has been explained by Randeep Guleria, Director, Delhi AIIMS. He mentioned that the Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at -70C which is a huge challenge for a developing nation like India where there will be difficulties in maintaining a cold chain, especially on rural missions. Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine: Rahul Gandhi Says 'Logistics For Making it Available to Every Indian Need to be Worked Out'.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also spoke about another challenge for the effective distribution of the vaccine in India. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Even though Pfizer has created a promising vaccine, but the logistics for making it available to every Indian need to be worked out. He further added that the central government has to define a vaccine distribution strategy." Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine: Is it Effective? When is it Expected to be Launched? Here's All You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Vaccine by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE.
Here's Why Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine is Challenge for India:
Speaking about the rise in coronavirus cases in AIIMS Delhi Director said that there must have been big super spreading events with several attendees who didn't take precautions. "We need to work aggressively towards curbing this number," he said.
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Tuesday said that the national expert group on coronavirus vaccine administration was in dialogue with all vaccine manufacturers - including domestic and foreign. Pfizer on Monday had informed that the vaccine it has been developing with German partner BioNTech SE was 90 percent effective against coronavirus.
US Health Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday further added if Pfizer Inc submitted the positive initial data from its Covid-19 vaccine trial to health regulators as quickly as expected, then US government has plans to begin vaccinating Americans in December.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2020 02:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).