Danes Trying To Squeeze Into An Icelandic Vaccine Deal

Negotiations between Iceland and Pfizer about additional vaccine and research in that relationship might be in danger according to the deCODE CEO and founder Kári Stefánsson. He says that the reason is that a staff member of Pfizer named Mette leaked the negotiation to Icelands’s neighbour state, Denmark, who are now trying to involve themselves into the negotiations.

It was Fréttablaðið that broke the story on its the front page today, Tuesday, and interviewed Kári about the issue. He states there that the root of the cause is that this Mette, who did not foreclose her last name, broke confidentiality by telling the Danish government about the negotiations, which have been reported about in most media in Iceland.

Kári says he got a message from the head of the disinfection institute of Denmark, Statens Serum Institut, two days ago, where he told Kári that the government had been in negotiations with Pfizer and that they would try to be a part of Iceland’s deal about getting the additional vaccine to do research.

Kári says with Fréttablaðið that it’s not only unrealistic that the Danes would participate in the research; he thinks the idea absurd.

Asked where things stand now in the negotiations between Iceland and Pfizer, Kári says that he doesn’t really know. He’s expecting to hear from Pfizer later this week though.

Kári started negotiations with Pfizer some weeks ago and was aiming to research exactly how herd immunity works, for there is not much data that backs exactly up how much vaccine is needed to create herd immunity in a society. This would mean that the Icelandic nation could get a vaccine faster than other nations.

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