The Dominican government seeks to change the contracted Covid-19 vaccines for pediatric vaccines. President Luis Abinader sent to Congress via the Senate an amendment to the contract with Pfizer Free Zone Panama for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines. These would be used for children 5 to 11 years old.
The Dominican government contracted 9,999,990 units of BNT162b2, of messenger RNA (mRNA) with the company. Of that total, 8,700,120 doses were delivered in 2021, with 1,299,870 units still pending.
Each vaccine cost $12 and the National Congress approved the contract for its acquisition through resolution 116-21 dated May 5, 2021. The pediatric units cost US$15.
The amendment to the contract contemplates that, of the 1,299,870 units pending delivery, the Dominican state will receive 1,296,000 in the form of “pediatric vaccine,” which would be delivered in 2022. The reduction of 3,870 doses is due to logistical reasons, so that the total amount contracted is a multiple of the number of doses that each batch of vaccine can contain explains the contract.
Diario Libre reports that the amendment calls for an additional payment of US$3.9 million to Pfizer because the pediatric vaccines cost US$15 each, compared to US$12 for the original vaccines.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
5 April 2022