The EU has warned Covid vaccine producers they must deliver agreed supplies, amid fears reductions could seriously hamper its inoculation drive.
AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech have both said production problems mean they cannot supply the expected numbers. The EU warned it could restrict exports of vaccines made in the bloc, with Germany’s health minister demanding “fair distribution”. The UK’s vaccine minister warned of “the dead end of vaccine nationalism”.
AstraZeneca is mainly produced in the UK, while the UK’s supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine come from the company’s Belgian plant. Vaccine supply has become a critical issue as nations seek to stem high infection rates.
Separately, the German health ministry joined AstraZeneca in strongly denying some reports in German media of a lower efficacy rate for its vaccine among older people.
