TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2020) The first doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by US pharma company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will arrive in Israel in coming days, the Health Ministry said on Monday.
In mid-November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country had signed a contract with Pfizer to secure two-dose jabs for 4 million of its citizens.
"The first doses of Pfizer's vaccine are expected to arrive in Israel in coming days. The exact date is unknown so far," the ministry said.
Israel's Army Radio, meanwhile, reported that the shipments would come on Thursday.
Apart from the contract with Pfizer, Israel also has deals with US biotechnology company Moderna and other vaccine manufacturers. In addition, the country launched clinical trials of its own vaccine in November. The phase 3 is scheduled for April-May.
Earlier, Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center, one of Israel's most authoritative medical facilities, said it had ordered 1.5 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. The deliveries are pending the ministry's approval. If the ministry refuses authorization, Hadassah said it would use the vaccine in its foreign branches.
