India's wait for a locally-produced coronavirus vaccine has gotten longer after an expert committee of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) put Serum Institute's and Bharat Biotech's applications on hold, citing lack of complete data.
Pfizer-BioNTech — whose vaccine has been approved for use in the United Kingdom and Bahrain — had applied to Indian regulators before SII and Bharat Biotech, and was scheduled to present its data to the committee but did not turn up, the source added.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
Maharashtra identifies three groups for receiving COVID-19 vaccine on priority
The Maharashtra government has decided to give priority to health workers from government and private hospitals, daily wage workers, and those employed with integrated child development services for the soon-to-be-made-available vaccine on COVID-19.
“The process of vaccination will run like a voting procedure. Booths will be set up and only those who are registered will be allowed to enter, along with an identity card. The person concerned will get a message on their phone and a certificate with QR code on completion of vaccination,” said an official.
COVID-19 vaccine to have differential pricing: Pfizer
Global pharma major Pfizer has said it will have differential pricing on its COVID-19 vaccine for different countries, as the company aims to make the vaccine available across the world.
“The fundamental that went into the pricing was that we make sure we make it very quickly available to everyone,” said Pfizer Inc Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla.
“We are having a tier pricing. It is one price for the developed world based on their GDP, another price, lower for the middle-income countries and in the low-income countries, like countries in Africa etc we are giving it on a not-on-profit base,” he added. Even in developed countries, the price is what they can afford to pay. In the U.S. the price is $19.50, the price of an average meal, Mr. Bourla said.