Pfizer not only option for Iran to buy coronavirus vaccine

Tehran, Dec 18, IRNA -- Head of the National Coronavirus Taskforce’s Scientific Committee stressed on Friday that Iran has not ruled out purchase of coronavirus vaccine, saying that the vaccine produced by Pfizer is not the only option for Iran because there are other vaccines that meet the country's conditions. Talking to IRNA, Mostafa Qane'ei added that two issues matters in buying Pfizer vaccine; one is its price and the other the temperature minus 70 it should be kept and transported to farthest points across the country. While Iran is able to buy a vaccine whose cold chain is compatible with the country's infrastructure and its price is more appropriate and is produced by a reputable company, there is no reason to buy a vaccine that it completely lacks the infrastructure needed for its transport, he said. Iran will not replace Pfizer vaccine with those of Russia and China, he said, noting that Europe now also has a vaccine, and AstraZeneca announced that it will produce its own vaccine as many as three billion doses, and in any case, this vaccine does not require a cold chain, and it is also a valid production. It is a vaccine proposed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca has finalized its production, he said, noting that this vaccine, compared to Pfizer vaccine has no problem both in terms of price and amount of production and transmission chain; Therefore, there is not only one option in buying coronavirus vaccine. As to the efficiency of the European vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, Qane'ei said that according to the documents published it is effective up to 95%.