Despite low efficiency, it is the best bet for India
Dr. Jameel, stating a simple fact there. These vaccines require very cold storage. Pfizer must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, requires specialized containers, transportation, training and distribution. Moderna vaccine can be stored at -20 degrees Celsius and can be kept in normal refrigerator freezers, but again, those aren’t available everywhere.
Second, and this is the painful truth, these vaccines are too expensive and first world countries have reserved them well in advance. For example, in the UK, for a population of 67 million, they have already booked 325 million doses, five times their population. Similarly, in Australia, for a population of 25 million, 34 million doses have already been reserved.
The Oxford vaccine, on the other hand, has been undergoing phase 3 trials in India. The Serum Institute of India (SII) already manufactures these vaccines here. They have a capacity of 800 million doses per year, of which 400 million will be available for India. We have a lot at stake with this vaccine.
.
