Pfizer has said in a statement on Friday that the drop in production is the result of the company upgrading its manufacturing processes, and that there will be an overall increase in supply as a result.
“Although this will temporarily impact shipments in late January to early February, it will provide a significant increase in doses available for patients in late February and March,” Pfizer said.
The German health ministry has said the delays are surprising and regrettable, pointing out that it had secured binding mid-February delivery dates from the company. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she had been given assurances by Pfizer’s chief executive that all orders for the first quarter would arrive. She had previously said that Pfizer had promised to double its delivery of doses to the EU to 600 million this year.
However, the EU also has agreements in place with Moderna to supply vaccines, and this is not wholly dependent on Pfizer. However, Johnson & Johnson is also falling behind in its vaccine delivery targets, amidst reports that the US has failed to meet vaccination goals for the end of 2020, and may struggle to meet this year’s goals. Meanwhile, the UK is expected to be slightly impacted by the drop in supply but remains on track to meets its February immunisation goals.
However, the EU has lagged behind the UK in its vaccination programme, for a number of reasons including the fact that the UK ordered and approved its vaccines sooner, while Brussels’ negotiations were slower. Much of the delay is due to the added bureaucracy of the 27 nation political confederation and its decision to acquire vaccines as a single entity instead of individual countries further exacerbated this.
According to Reuters, citing a participant at a meeting last week, a third of the EU’s 27 countries reported difficulties in securing enough vaccines for their vaccination programmes.
Source: BBC News
