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According to announcements from government representatives, Serbia has already started the race for the most sought after product on the world market: the coronavirus vaccine. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić says the state will likely provide the “Pfizer” vaccine through the Kovacs system. How much will it cost? It is not yet known, but the question is whether Serbia will have enough money to buy it. With what funds will the acquisition be financed? Economic experts warn: the process must be completely transparent.
“The price of the vaccine is a secret of principles”, are the words of the European Commission, which affirms that announcing the prices of a possible vaccine would violate the process of commercial negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and tenders.
Will governments around the world do the math or will they do their best to get the vaccine as soon as possible, regardless of the cost? Serbia doesn’t seem to have a dilemma.
“So far, we have provided 1.8 million doses by the end of this year and for the whole of next year through the Kovax system; at this time, it seems that we will be talking about the Pfizer-Biontek vaccine,” said the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.
The “Covax” system must guarantee the distribution of the vaccine equally in the most efficient way. How much will the acquisition cost and will Serbia have the money for it? Economic journalist Miša Brkić says for H1: nothing else should be a priority for the state.
“It is no longer an economic or political problem, it is a health and safety problem. The citizens and the nation must be protected from the epidemic, so the question no longer arises as to whether there is money in the budget for that, not to build the National Football Stadium next year, but to use the funds allocated to that for the purchase of the vaccine ”, believes Brkić.
Apart from the economic aspect, the question is, do we have the logistical conditions to take care of the vaccines, which include the purchase of a special “cold chain”? Epidemiologist Branislav Tiodorovic explains that a special task force is working on that.
The fact that we have already decided and already signed a contract with “Pfizer” to provide us with those 1.8 million doses is a great thing and it is just proof that we entered the preparation on time, that is, that we signed a contract with them on time. , and you have to provide a lot, special freezers, because it is stored at minus 70, minus 80 degrees, an adequate distribution must be guaranteed and within five days after arrival at the place where the vaccination is carried out, citizens must be vaccinated ” Tiodorović explained.
If now is not the time to talk about prices, when the contracting is completed, the state is obliged to be publicly accountable for all steps in the process, Miša Brkić concludes, although she adds that when it comes to transparency, “it is not optimistic”.
“I would also like to see who is the negotiator on behalf of Serbia; if it is the president of the state, then I am quite uneasy, I would like the negotiator for the purchase of vaccines to be someone who is absolutely expert in that, regardless of the price.” says Miša Brkić.
And the optimistic announcements that we could have the vaccine by the end of the year, the profession already softens and says: the most likely scenario is spring 2021.
Read more about kovid-19 and the consequences of the pandemic in the country and the world on the page. Coronavirus.
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