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Pavel Burian

November 11, 2020 Politics

Czech govt wants 2 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Czech govt wants 2 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine - Czech Points

Czechia is interested in purchasing two million doses of the covid-19 vaccine from the American company Pfizer. The Minister of Health, Jan Blatný, told reporters today. The government has previously approved the collection of three million doses of another type of serum from AstraZeneca. The first vaccines could reach the Czech Republic in the first quarter of next year, the minister said.

According to Blatný, Czechia last week joined a so far non-binding agreement on vaccine supplies, negotiated by the European Commission. “We believe that, as it is set up now, we should have around five million doses when the vaccine is available,” he said. He reiterated that health professionals and seniors should be vaccinated first to vaccinate the population by 50 to 60 percent after receiving the vaccines.

Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech were the first to release data from a vaccine clinical trial. Based on the ongoing analysis, they announced that it has more than ninety percent effectiveness, so there is a good chance of its approval in the US and the first application by the end of the year. AstraZeneca has not yet released the results of clinical trials, nor have other companies that develop vaccines.

The Czech state formally joined the European initiative on the supply of vaccines in June. The European Commission negotiates supply agreements, and the Member States have the opportunity to join them. In the summer, it was the first commission to reach an agreement on deliveries with the British company AstraZeneca. The Czechia has three million benefits reserved, according to Blatný. According to previous information and AstraZeneca and Pfizer, the commission is also negotiating with Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, CureVac, and Moderna.

According to previous ministry estimates, about 3.5 million people in the Czech Republic would be vaccinated in the first wave. About 200,000 health professionals, two million people over the age of 65, and another 1.3 million people are younger but at risk for chronic diseases. Some vaccines develop immunity after two doses, so about seven million will be needed. The costs can range from 500 million to five billion crowns.