The Hype and Reality Of Pfizer Vaccine – Prof K Nageshwar

 
Stock markets world over displayed unprecedented exuberance over the news of pharma maker Pfizer’s reporting that its vaccine proved to 90 percent efficient. The euphoria is understandable. The world is reeling under adverse consequences of the pandemic, the economy is witnessing unprecedented contraction, and herd immunity is not an option as per several epidemiologists. The United States and Europe reporting the second wave of infections is a matter of concern. Given this grim public health and economic picture, even an iota of positiveness is a moment of celebration. But the world has to gauge hype around the vaccine for COVID-19 carefully.

Any vaccine should be judged on five parameters- efficacy, safety, logistics, cost and availability. Efficacy refers to the extent of protection the vaccine gives against the virus and the endurance of such protection. Safety refers to the possibility of side effects from the inoculation. Pfizer vaccine is a welcome feature on these two counts. But, the vaccine, if judged on the other three parameters, raises fundamental questions. 

The Pfizer vaccine should be stored at Antarctic levels of temperatures of around -70 to -80 degrees. India does not have such a cold chain infrastructure to store and transport the vaccine to the delivery point, even in big metropolitan cities, leave alone rural and semi-urban areas. It is difficult to build such costly logistics to carry out universal immunization. 

The pharma MNC has not, yet, revealed the cost of the vaccine. But, experts in the field expect it to be prohibitive. It is difficult for governments to provide such a costly vaccine through the universal immunization scheme of a public health program. In such an eventuality, the affluent will have the luxury of protection against the COVID-19 leaving the average Indian vulnerable to the virus.  

The availability of this vaccine for countries like India is also a matter of concern. Pfizer has declared that it would be in a position to make 1.3 billion doses available by early next year. But, reports indicate that the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, and European Union have already entered into an advance purchase agreement with Pfizer for the supply of as many 1.1 billion doses, leaving very little for the rest of the world. In such a case, many other countries would have access to the Pfizer vaccine only at the end of 2021 or early 2022 even if they can afford such a high cost of the vaccine.  

Thus, the science of the Pfizer vaccine is something to cheer, but the social, economic, and political factors warrant a greater degree of caution before we celebrate the medical breakthrough.

By Prof K Nageshwar

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