Pfizer-BioNTech seeks to provide ‘equitable access to COVID vaccine’ — company official

AMMAN — Pfizer-BioNTech donated vaccines to refugees residing in Jordan, as part of the company’s bilateral agreement and collaboration with the Jordan Ministry of Health and the UNHCR, according to RawadGebrael, Pfizer’s General Manager in the Levant region.

Jordan began its COVID-19 national vaccination programme with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in January 2021. The vaccination effort includes doses administered to Jordan’s refugee population, including those who fled the 2011 war in Syria who currently live in refugee camps and urban communities across the country, Gebrael noted. 

“This allows Jordan to effectively and efficiently manage a national vaccination programme to reach its diverse population, while ensuring that additional support is provided to protect people in challenging conditions,” Gebrael told The Jordan Times in an e-mail interview.

Gebrael pointed out that one of Pfizer-BioNTech’s top priorities since “day one” of the vaccine development programme has been to “provide equitable access to the vaccine”. 

“Our outreach has been broad and inclusive. We approached all governments and global health organisations where Pfizer operates,” he said.

Gebrael also indicated that there has been regular communication between Pfizer-BioNTech, UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) to understand how refugees and other populations in challenging conditions will receive access to vaccines and how Pfizer can support these efforts.

He noted that Pfizer-BioNTech has been working closely with Jordan’s Ministry of Health and UNHCR since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We are grateful for their partnership. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Jordan has set an excellent example of how an efficient and effective national immunisation programme provides for all people across a diverse population, especially the less fortunate and those with challenging conditions. We believe that such highly coordinated and collaborative efforts by public and private stakeholders are crucial to fight this deadly pandemic,” Gebrael added.

“Our commitment to ensuring equitable access to Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines is paramount,” he continued.

Pfizer-BioNTech has pledged to provide two billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to low- and middle-income countries in 2021 and 2022, according to Gabrael.

As part of that pledge, Pfizer-BioNTech will provide the US government a total of one billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccine at a not-for-profit price. The doses are expected to be delivered by the end of September 2022.  The US government will then donate the doses to COVAX AMC 92 countries and African Union member states, he said.

Pfizer-BioNTech has already shipped more than 1.5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses worldwide.

“The companies are firmly committed to working towards equitable and affordable access for COVID-19 vaccines for all people around the world, actively working with governments and health partners worldwide,” Gebrael said.