Vaccination wars: EU threatens to limit exports in line with AstraZeneca

• The EU has threatened to restrict the export of coronavirus vaccines to other countries.
• This comes after the British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca said that the EU countries will receive millions less points than they ordered.
• The battle comes amid growing concerns in the EU over deterioration in the race to vaccinate its population.
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The EU has threatened to restrict the export of coronavirus vaccines to other countries after British medicine firm AstraZeneca said EU countries would receive millions less stab points than they ordered.

EU officials issued the warning after AstraZeneca, which manufactures COVID-19 scaffolding in the UK, informed Brussels last week that it would deliver “significantly” fewer push-ups in the coming weeks than the bloc had ordered due to production problems.

In response, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides indicated that Brussels would consider placing export restrictions on coronavirus vaccines produced within the EU.

These include the Pfizer vaccine, which is manufactured in Belgium and which was crucial in the UK’s vaccination efforts.

“Vaccine developers have social and contractual responsibilities that they must uphold,” Kyriakides said. tweeted Monday after meetings with AstraZeneca officials.

She added: ‘We want clarity on transactions and full transparency regarding the export of vaccines from the EU.

“In the future, all companies that manufacture vaccines against Covid-19 in the EU will have to give early notice when they want to export vaccinations to third countries.”

In response, British vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi said that although the stock of the vaccine was “scarce”, he was confident the UK would receive enough doses to reach the target of 15 million people by mid-February. in te ent.

“I am confident that we will reach our mid-February target and go beyond that,” he told the BBC on Tuesday.

The queue comes amid growing concerns in the EU about vaccine supply. The European Medicines Agency approved the Moderna vaccine for use in Member States for the first time a month ago and has since approved the Pfizer vaccine, but the group’s vaccination rate has fallen much lower than that of countries including the United States. Kingdom.

AstraZeneca’s warning that it will not be able to fulfill the entire EU order comes after Pfizer also announced a temporary slowdown in the supply of vaccines to the EU earlier in January.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Tuesday supported the EU’s proposal to restrict vaccine exports.

“I can understand that there are production problems, but then it has to affect everyone in the same way,” the broadcaster ZDF told Reuters.

“This is not even about Europe, but about the fair part of Europe,” he said before saying that vaccines should be restricted by Reuters.

Both AstraZeneca and the German Ministry of Health also denies reports in the German media that AstraZeneca’s vaccine is not effective for people over 65.

The German Ministry of Health said the reports were apparently based on incorrect reading of data. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said he expected the EU vaccine to be approved on Friday.