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Coronavirus: Japan asks Pfizer for more vaccines; India’s Modi urges ‘symbolic’ Kumbh Mela festival
- Japan’s PM asked the CEO of Pfizer for additional supplies of vaccine to cover all the country’s eligible recipients by September
- Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Hindus to keep the ongoing Kumbh Mela festival ‘symbolic’
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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has asked US drug maker Pfizer Inc. for additional supplies of its Covid-19 vaccine to speed up an inoculation drive that is lagging behind many other countries.
Suga, after holding talks with President Joe Biden at the White House, wrapped up his Washington visit on Saturday with a phone call to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.
Suga asked Burla for additional supplies of the vaccine that would cover all eligible recipients by September, as well as to ensure the stable and prompt delivery of the ongoing vaccine shipments, Japanese officials said on Sunday.
“They have agreed on the essentials of the matter,” Japan’s vaccine minister Taro Kono said during a live interview on Fuji TV, adding that further details including the shipment schedule will be discussed, without saying the number of extra doses sought from Pfizer.
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Japan, with its domestic vaccine development still in the early stages, has to rely on imports and has signed agreements with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one Japan has approved so far.
Japan’s government says it has secured 314 million doses, enough to cover its entire population by the end of this year. That includes 144 million doses from Pfizer.
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Inoculations started in mid-February and have covered less than 1 per cent of the population so far. Progress has been hampered by a shortage of vaccines amid export controls put in place by the European Union.
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