Lithuania plans to buy 5.58 mln Pfizer vaccine doses in 2022-2023

VILNIUS – The Lithuanian government approved on Monday the Health Ministry's proposal to participate in the European Commission's talks on further COVID-19 vaccine purchases and buy 5.58 million BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine doses in 2022-2023.  

Health Minister Arunas Dulkys said the European Commission had asked Lithuania to decide on additional vaccines by Monday.

"We have to inform them if we agree to the following conditions: 5.58 million doses of the vaccine would be allocated to us on a pro rata basis and delivered in 2022 and 2023," he told the Cabinet. 

"Since we must think about the need to ensure revaccination, we are asking to approve such a procurement agreement." 

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte wondered if the Commission has the answers on how many booster shots will be needed. 

If one shot is sufficient to maintain immunity, the amount is "more than enough" for a year, she noted. 

Simonyte suggested that Lithuania should only participate in the procurement of basic vaccines quantities for now, with its decisions on whether to buy extra vaccine doses to depend on "additional information provided by science".

Dulkys said that there are no such answers yet, adding that the Commission will still discuss these issues.

According to the Health Ministry, Lithuania has so far approved the acquisition of almost 10.7 million vaccine doses from eight producers, including 3.7 million euros from Pfizer and 1.86 million from AstraZeneca.