A European Union official said on Sunday that the UK would not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in the Netherlands because the EU was trying to discuss doses of the vaccine for its citizens.
An unnamed EU official told Reuters: “The British are demanding that the Halix plant in the Netherlands deliver the drug produced there to them. It is not working.”
The plant, based in the Dutch city of Leiden, is managed by a subcontractor named Halix and is responsible for providing AstraZeneca’s contracts with Britain and the EU, reports Reuters.
“What is produced in Halix must go to the EU,” the EU official said.
“The European Commission will know that the rest of the world is looking at the Commission, how it is behaving, and if contracts are broken, and businesses, it is very harmful to happen to a trade bloc that is proud of the rule of law,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said earlier on Sunday in response to reports that European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen had threatened to block shipping to Britain.
The EU had earlier threatened to block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the UK, while Von der Leyen said the situation in Europe was deteriorating.
However, the EU official fired back and told Reuters that no contracts had been broken.
Reuters notes that although the AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in the EU, approval for Halix has not yet been received. From documents obtained by the news office, it appears that Halix expects to get approval by Thursday.
According to the most recent report by the British National Health Service, 20,661,496 people received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine, making up 45.4 per cent of the UK population over 16.
This dispute comes shortly after several European countries temporarily halted the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to concerns that it was causing blood clots. Countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland and Norway, have all suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine pending a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The EMA announced on Thursday that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective, although it cannot rule out a link between the shot and blood clots. The EMA said the benefits of the shot outweigh the potential risks.
“Our scientific view is that this vaccine is a safe and effective option to protect citizens against COVID-19,” said Emer Cooke, EMA’s executive director. “We have made this review our top priority.”