Won’t deal with states, vaccine firms tell Delhi

NEW DELHI: US pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna have told the Delhi government that they will deal only with the central government, and not sell Covid-19 vaccines individually to states, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, highlighting a major problem in scaling up vaccine stocks at a time when central supplies are much lower that the vaccination demands and capacities of most Indian states.

Not long after Kejriwal’s comments, Pfizer issued a statement saying it will supply vaccines only to the Union government. “Allocation of doses and implementation plan within a country is a decision for local governments based on relevant health authority guidance,” the drugmaker said.