A single COVID-19 vaccine will cost between €5 and €15, the EU’s Public Health Deputy Director Sandra Gallina told MEPs in a crucial meeting over the issue.

She said that the first vaccinations should start already towards the end of this year and a significant number of vaccines should become available in the first part of 2021. 

Vaccines, Gallina said, would be distributed to member states based on population size. However, it will be enough to ensure an effective vaccination procedure.

It would be up to the member states to decide who will receive the vaccination first. Gallina conceded this might create disparities across borders.

Gallina highlighted that a good vaccine must be efficient, safe, affordable, developed quickly and able to achieve EU market authorisation. She particularly underlined that the EU is fully committed to a global approach where vaccines must be available to all, including in low-income countries.

Health Minister Chris Fearne has said that Malta will receive an initial 330,000 doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, which will focus on protecting the nation’s vulnerable and healthcare workers on the front lines.

The World Health Organisation has said it doesn’t expect widespread global vaccination until mid-2021. Oxford University is leading the pack in the race for a vaccine. It estimates that its vaccine could be set for distribution by 3rd November, with human trials underway.

Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci has played down concerns that a COVID-19 vaccine will be resisted by a large chunk of the Maltese population. Out of 4,400 respondents in a Lovin Malta poll, 66% said they intend to take it while 34% said they don’t.

Malta’s number of active cases is down to 372, after 37 new COVID-19 cases and 63 new recoveries were reported yesterday.

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