The delivery of vaccine doses to EU members has been hindered by several factors. EU members have warned that members will have to be contacted before any delivery is made outside the zone.
Vaccine firms must honor the delivery agreement
The European Union has issued a warning for firms producing vaccines that they must honor their supply agreement irrespective of export issues. Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca have complained that there exist issues in production and exports and this means there will be disruptions in supply to most European countries.
The European Union has said it may restrict vaccine exports made by firms in the EU zone, with the health minister in Germany calling for a “fair distribution” for everyone. The vaccine chief in the UK has warned that “ the end of vaccine nationalism is at hand.”
The AstraZeneca vaccine is developed in the UK, but the country Pfizer-BioNTech supplies are from Belgium. The distribution of vaccines has been a thorny issue among western nations as they continue to jostle for who will get the highest dose.
EU must be served first before others—members insist
The German government has recently come to the defense of AstraZeneca that the vaccine is not efficient in aged people. Insinuations in German media were that the AstraZeneca vaccine has a small efficacy among aged individuals On Monday, AstraZeneca told the EU it was having problems supplying vaccines in quantities agreed because of technical issues.
The Pfizer-BioNTech firm has said it has reduced the supply of its vaccine because of export issues. Replying to this, the health minister of the EU Stella Kyriakides said that vaccine firms in the EU bloc will have to notify them first, before supplying other countries. She further said the 28-member EU nation will go to any means to guard its citizens. She was backed by the German health minister, Jens Spahn, saying the EU wasn’t selfish but wanted everyone to get a fair vaccine share.
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