Iraq has struck an initial deal with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine set to arrive in February, said spokesperson Saif Badr on Monday.
The contract will be finalized within the next two weeks, Riyadh al-Halfi, the head of the general directorate at Iraq’s health ministry, told state media on Sunday.
“The vaccine will be available in the beginning or middle of next month,” Halfi added.
Halfi had previously told state media in early December that Iraq would receive its first batch of the vaccine in March.
The official emphasized that the ministry has already prepared for the vaccine’s specific requirements, having set out a complete plan for the roll out “including refrigeration”. The Pfizer vaccine’s need to be at the ultra-frigid temperature of -70°C has worried many about its transport.
When asked about how many doses the Kurdistan Region would be receiving, Badr insisted the vaccine will be distributed in all Iraqi provinces according to the percentage of the population.
Aso Hawezy, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) health ministry, told Rudaw on Saturday that insufficient information on when residents of the Region would be receiving the vaccine, has led them to pursue additional avenues in securing immunization.
"We have contacted Pfizer in order to provide the people in the Kurdistan Region with vaccines, because it is unknown when exactly Iraq is going to provide the vaccine," he said.
President Barham Salih told the United Nations (UN) in December that Iraq needs international assistance to enact its plan to provide its citizens with the coronavirus vaccine free of charge.
The World Bank announced in October that it had approved $12 billion in assistance for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments for their citizens. Halfi told state media that Iraq was among the countries that would be receiving World Bank assistance.
The Iraqi government committed $170 million in October to COVAX, a global initiative to ensure an eventual vaccine reaches those in greatest need, in order to secure the vaccine for its citizens, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced late last year.
Badr told Rudaw in October that the vaccine would be distributed to Iraqis on the government’s dime.
Military forces, health workers, and at-risk groups will be prioritized when distributing the vaccine, which will be provided “for free,” he explained.
As of Sunday, Iraq has recorded over 600,000 COVID-19 cases, including nearly 13,000 deaths.
