By Dr. Patrick Martin, MD — 18 February 2021
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is ideal for low-resource countries because it is easy to refrigerate and affordable at US$4 per dose, compared to Pfizer-BioNTech’s $20 and Moderna’s $33. Comparing vaccine efficacies — 62% vs 95% — is like comparing apples and oranges; trials report different efficacies because they are done under different conditions. What really matters is vaccine effectiveness in real world populations, and there are already published reports of lower rates of severe disease, ICU admissions and death since vaccine rollout in the USA, UK and Israel. Residents can be confident that every vaccine approved for use in St. Kitts and Nevis is safe and effective. India, which is producing the first AstraZeneca tranche, has unrivalled capacity for manufacturing pharmaceuticals of assured quality.