Moderna, Pfizer COVID Vaccines to Arrive in India by August: Report

3 to 4 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to arrive India by August.

The US-made mRNA vaccine doses, donated through the COVAX programme, could potentially be shipped to India as early as next month, reported Reuters.

COVAX is a global initiative undertaken by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to sure equatible distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Last week, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted Indian pharmaceutical company, Cipla Limited permission to import and market the Moderna vaccines in India, the first batch of which is likely to reach India this week, reported Live Mint.

The Moderna vaccine was granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) in India on 29 June, whereas, the Pfizer vaccine has not yet received the approval by the DCGI.

The legal requirements are still being ironed out to facilitate the shipment of the US donated COVID vaccine doses, sources told Reuters.

As of now, three covid vaccines, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Oxford/AstraZeneca's Covishield, and Gamalaya's Sputnik V are in use in India.

India has administered 36,48,47,549 COVID vaccine doses so far.

What to Know About the Two mRNA Vaccines

Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made on the same mRNA vaccine platform.

The Pfizer vaccine has an overall efficacy of 91.3 percent while Moderna has an efficacy of 94.1 percent.

Some other key points about the two vaccines include,

• Doses and the gap between them

Moderna: 2 Doses with a recommended gap of 28 days.

Pfizer: 2 Doses with a recommended gap of 21 days.

• Eligibility

Moderna: So far only approved for those over 18 years of age.

Pfizer: Approved in the US for everyone over the age of 12.

• Storage

Unopened viles of both Moderna and Pfizer can be storied in regular fridge temperature (2 - 8 ^oC) for up to 30 days.

• Efficacy against the Delta Variant

Pfizer: Studies have found it to be effective against the Delta variant albeit with a drop in efficacy.

Moderna: While studies have shown the vaccine is effective against the Alpha and Beta variants, more research is needed to determine the impact of the delta variant on Moderna's efficacy.

(Written with inputs from Reuters and Live Mint.)