Israel to enter into a deal with Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccine

Israel will sign a provisional deal with Pfizer to receive eight million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from January, informed Israel’s health minister.

The deal, post approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Israel’s Health Ministry, would provide vaccines for close to half of the Israeli population, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said.

“The supply would begin in January 2021, with the remainder arriving throughout the course of 2021,” he said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the order would be for eight million doses, enough for four million people.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE confirmed the deal in a statement and said it would not disclose financial details but deal terms would be tied to the timing of delivery and the volume of doses provided.

“Our goal remains to create a global supply of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for many people around the world, as quickly as we can,” said Sean Marett, the chief business officer at BioNTech, in a statement.

A spokesman for Pfizer said final signing will take place on Friday.

(Edits by EP News Bureau)