Israel is in talks with other countries about a deal to unload its surplus of Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccines, doses of which are due to expire by the end of the month, a health ministry official said on Sunday. This comes after a trade with the Palestinian Authority fell through last month.
Hezi Levi, the ministry's director-general, did not provide details about the number of doses Israel was looking to hand over in an apparent swap arrangement.
In an interview with Radio 103 FM, he confirmed that such a deal had been discussed with Britain last week but said an agreement had not materialized and was "a thing of the past."
"We are negotiating with other countries," Levi told Radio 103 FM, without naming them. "We are dealing with this day and night."
He said the doses expire on July 31 and that any deal would have to win Pfizer's approval.
A Pfizer spokesperson said the company "is happy to discuss potential donations requests of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine between governments on a case-by-case basis, particularly if this helps ensure the vaccine is used to protect people from this disease."
Under the previous, unsuccessful agreement with the PA, Israel said it would supply up to 1.4 million doses of the vaccine immediately to the PA, and in September or October, when the doses purchased from Pfizer by the PA are due to arrive, the same number of doses would be returned to Israel.Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced that he was canceling the shipment because the vaccines are due to expire soon.The official also said that negotiations for a swap with the UK fell through for technical reasons, according to Haaretz.This is a developing story.