Bloomberg: The European Union is poised to ban Covid-19 vaccine exports if drugmakers fail to meet delivery targets within the bloc, stepping up its battle for doses as governments warn of shortages in the weeks ahead.
The crisis is showing little sign of being resolved a week after AstraZeneca Plc warned that deliveries this quarter will be less than half that initially planned. Countries are being forced to slow the rollout of inoculations, aggravating an already-sluggish pace across the EU.
“We still have some difficult weeks of vaccine shortages ahead of us,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said in Berlin on Friday.
In Spain, Madrid’s regional administration is halting vaccinations for at least two weeks after receiving less doses than expected, and Ireland has cautioned that its first-quarter target will depend on Astra deliveries.
France said about 5% of appointments for first jabs will have to be delayed by a few days, although none would be canceled. Italy has also slowed its campaign, blaming Pfizer Inc. for sending fewer doses than expected in recent weeks.
The bloc’s Covid-19 vaccine push started at the end of December, later than the U.S. and Britain. As of Friday, 2.5 doses had been administered per 100 people in the EU, compared with 8.3 in the U.S. and 11.9 in the U.K., according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The commission signed an advance purchase agreement with Astra for as many as 400 million Covid-19 vaccine doses — part of a total 2.3 billion secured for the EU.
“There are binding orders and the contract is crystal clear,” von der Leyen said. – Bloomberg
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