Pfizer Says Its Coronavirus Vaccine Effective Against B.1.6.1.7 Variant From India, Seeks Fast Track Approval

Seeking fast-track approval for its Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer has told the Indian authorities that the vaccine has shown “high effectiveness” against the novel Covid-19 variant prevalent in India & on people of Indian ethnicity or nationality. Pfizer has also said that its vaccine is suitable for everyone aged 12 years or older. It can be stored for a month at 2-8 degrees Celsius, reported The Indian Express. It has said that 26 per cent of participants overall in the recent observational study by Public Health England (PHE) in the United Kingdom were “Indian or British Indian”. This study, which was concluded on May 22, reported a high vaccine effectiveness of 87.9 per cent against the B.1.617.2 variant, which is most reported in India. Pfizer, which is ready to offer 5 crore doses to India between July and October this year and has sought certain relaxations including indemnification, has held a series of interactions with Indian government authorities recently. India is currently using Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, besides small amounts of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines, to inoculate its citizens. Watch the video to know more.