The European Union’s (EU) threat to restrict the export of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Britain, could result in a delay of up to two months in the country’s Covid-19 vaccination program.
On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told that if it failed to receive deliveries as promised, the EU would restrict vaccine exports to the UK.
Von der Leyen says the company will only deliver 30% of the promised dose in the first quarter of 2021.
He also expressed that although the AstraZeneca contract stipulates the EU will accept vaccines from factories in the EU and Britain, but it does not receive anything from the UK, and instead it is the block that gives the vaccines to them.
Von der Leyen referred to data showing that at least 41 million doses of the vaccine had been exported from the EU to 33 countries, despite a shortage of supply in the block itself. He also mentioned that 9 million doses had been shipped to the UK and another million to the United States.
Following that, leaders of EU member states are expected to hold virtual talks on Thursday to discuss the ban on the export of AstraZeneca vaccine to the UK.
The EU is currently under great pressure following the slowdown in its vaccination program, as well as facing the risk of a resurgence of coronavirus cases, forcing it to implement new sanctions measures.
Not only that, in fact, the confidence of the population in some European countries towards the AstraZeneca vaccine has also declined due to the latest issue that has arisen regarding the side effects experienced by the recipients.
