미 정부 "화이자 백신 1억회분 추가 구매…캐나다, 모더나 코로나19 백신 승인
Pfizer says it will supply the U.S. government with 100 million more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine,... bringing the company's total commitment for the country to 200 million doses.
Meanwhile, more countries are kickstarting their vaccination programs with Canada approving the use of Moderna's vaccine.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Wednesday that it will supply the U.S. government with an additional 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine,... under a new agreement.
The latest deal brings their total current commitment to 200 million doses for the U.S.,... and it will be enough to vaccinate 100 million Americans with the two-dose regimen.
The U.S. government also has an option to purchase an additional 400 million doses.
Health Canada on Wednesday approved the use of Moderna's vaccine,... with 168-thousand doses expected to arrive by the end of the year.
The announcement comes after the federal department completed its review of Moderna's clinical trial data.
Canada has so far secured 40 million doses of the Moderna vaccine by the end of 2021.
The country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference on Wednesday that doses should arrive "in the coming days".
More countries have begun their mass vaccination programs,... as Qatar launched its free COVID-19 vaccination campaign,.. after the first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in the country on Tuesday.
Priority will be given to those 70 and older,... those with multiple chronic health conditions and healthcare workers in close contact with COVID-19 patients.
In Switzerland,... a 90-year-old woman received the first COVID-19 vaccine in the country on Wednesday,... as the Alpine nation also began its vaccination program.
The vaccines are to be provided at no cost.
Mexico will soon begin its own vaccination program after the first doses from Pfizer arrived there on Wednesday.
Mexico is set to receive over 1-point-4 million doses by the end of January.
Argentina also became the first country outside of Russia to approve the emergency use of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine.
The country's president Alberto Fernandez said this month that he hope to vaccinate 300-thousand Argentines before the end of the year,... and 10 million citizens in the first two months of 2021 using Sputnik V.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
