India unlikely to get Pfizer doses via Covax. Here's why

India may not benefit from the recent announcement made by the US government allocating free doses of Pfizer vaccines to the Covax facility. The issue of indemnity, which is yet to be sorted out between the Indian government and the company, will become a hurdle for India to get free doses through the Covax facility, a government official said.

“The indemnity clause is in-built. Those countries which have or are receiving free doses through Covax have to sign the indemnity clause. In the absence of which, it won’t be possible for India to benefit and secure doses of Pfizer vaccines through the Covax facility,” added the official.

On June 10, the company announced that it had secured 500 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine at a not-for-profit price for donation to the world's ‘poorest’ countries.


As part of the agreement, 200 million vaccine doses will be delivered in 2021 and the further 300 million doses are earmarked for delivery in the first half of 2022.

The US will allocate the doses to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries and economies, as defined by Gavi’s Covax Advance Market Commitment and the 55 member states of the African Union. Both the government and the company are at loggerheads over the demand of the company for legal protection against liabilities from adverse events of its Covid jabs.

“The discussions are stuck,” said a person privy to the matter. VK Paul, member of Niti Aayog, said on Tuesday the government will close deal on Pfizer vaccine soon.

India has not provided indemnity protection to domestically available Covid-19 vaccines of Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech. The purchase order executed by the government with Indian manufacturers Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech stipulated that the companies would have to inform the government authorities immediately in case of reports of any health risks or complications arising from the vaccine.