The European Union (EU) has criticized the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca over the delayed delivery of the agreed coronavirus vaccine and threatened to impose strict export controls on vaccines made in the block.
The EU accuses AstraZeneca of failing to provide a satisfactory explanation for the promised dose shortfall to member states.
The block is expected to receive 100 million doses in the first quarter of this year. However, it is now feared that it will only receive half of it even if it has made a purchase first before being approved by the European medical agency.
The delay in delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is expected to receive medical approval by the bloc this Friday, combined with delays in Pfizer-BioNTech dose distribution are now putting the EU under pressure.
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides says the EU is already facing heavy criticism due to the slow distribution of vaccines in 27 member countries. Therefore, the EU will take the necessary action to protect its citizens.
Kyriakides also said he was unhappy with the talks with the company which ended yesterday with a lack of clarity on the delay.
The EU has committed to buying 300 million doses of AstraZeneca with an additional 100 million doses. However, late last week, the company said it planned to reduce shipments of the first batch by 80 million to 31 million.
