The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine (illustrative image).

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SOPA Images / SIPA

The EU is due to receive 200 million doses of the anti-Covid vaccine BioNTech-Pfizer in the second quarter, after an agreement providing for an "acceleration" of deliveries, the European Commission announced on Tuesday, while the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine comes from be suspended by many member states.

The European executive, in charge of negotiating vaccine orders on behalf of the Twenty-Seven, unveiled an agreement reached with the German BioNTech and the American Pfizer to "accelerate" the delivery of 10 million doses compared to the schedule initial, according to a statement.

Address potential shortfalls in deliveries of other vaccines

"This acceleration (...) will bring the total number of doses of BioNTech-Pfizer expected in the second quarter to more than 200 million," said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from Germany.

"This gives member states a margin of maneuver and this will potentially fill in the shortcomings of deliveries" on certain vaccines, she added.

A first contract signed in the fall by the EU provided for the delivery of 200 million BioNTech-Pfizer doses before September 2021, then 100 million later.

The exact timeline had not been revealed.

A second contract signed on January 8 covered 300 million additional doses (200 million with an option for 100 million more), with up to 75 million doses available from the second quarter.

A ramp-up of deliveries in April-June?

The “accelerated” delivery of 10 million doses announced on Tuesday is part of the 100 million dose option of this second contract, which should not be initially available until the third quarter of 2021, the statement said.

Much criticized for the slowness of deliveries and the major delays of the AstraZeneca group, the Commission expects deliveries to ramp up in April-June, with an average rate of 100 million doses per month over the entire quarter.

This schedule could however be compromised by the setbacks of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the use of which has been suspended in recent days by a large part of the Member States following cases of serious blood problems identified in vaccinated people.

The European Commission is targeting 70% of Europeans vaccinated by the end of the summer.

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