WHO: Cost of COVID vaccines should remain affordable for all countries

The cost of COVID vaccines should remain affordable for all nations so that as many people as possible can be vaccinated in a short time, Senior Adviser to WHO Director-General Bruce Aylward said at a briefing, Report informs referring to RIA Novosti.

“As for the prices of vaccines and the specifics of how much one country or the other pays, we cannot comment on this. But we can say, and it is essential, that we are currently trying to deliver vaccines to people at the best possible price in this pandemic. Any price changes must be justified by the costs incurred by manufacturers because the goal today is to vaccinate as many people as possible as soon as possible to save lives, reduce infections, the burden on health systems and return to everyday life,” Aylward added.

Manufacturers need to keep these goals in mind when changing product prices, which could undermine overall efforts to combat the pandemic, he said.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the manufacturers of vaccines against coronavirus Pfizer and Moderna, increased the price for one dose of the jab for the EU. The price per dose of Pfizer jab increased from 15.5 euros to 19.5 euros. Moderna jab’s contract price per dose rose to $25.5. Previously, the price was $22.6.