Vaccines, EU asks for AstraZeneca doses from the United States

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06 March 2021 The European Union has decided to press the United States to have AstraZeneca deliver vaccine doses to Europe, after delays in vaccine deliveries by pharmaceutical companies. 

The Financial Times, citing European sources, writes: "The EU will urge the United States to allow the export of millions of doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine to Europe".

The decision will serve to "fill the EU's supply shortages on vaccines and respect supply contracts".

According to the British economic-financial newspaper, the European Union also wants Washington to guarantee a free flow of shipments of the components necessary for European production.

The revelation came on the day when the WHO certified that infections in Europe are starting to grow again: according to the World Health Organization, in the last week there are one million new cases registered in Europe.

There was a 9% increase in cases from the previous week and a turnaround after six months of decline.

The

depends, according to the WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, by two factors: first, the spread of variants;

but also "to the opening of the company when it is not done in a safe and controlled way".

Speaking of reopening, in Germany, Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Helge Braun, said he was "very skeptical" about the prospects for travel and travel at Easter (the block was extended until March 28);

but he expects the situation to change by the end of May and for Germany to return to full normality in the summer.

Provided, however, that vaccine manufacturers keep their delivery commitments and no new Coronavirus mutation "raises questions about the overall success of the vaccination".

It is precisely for the success of vaccination that the European Union, according to the Financial Times, aspires to collaborate with the US.

The idea is to fill the vaccine shortages by obtaining the guarantee that Washington exports the doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca produced or packaged in the USA to the Old Continent.

The Financial Times still reports that, according to European officials, the Commission "intends to raise the issue in the forthcoming transatlantic discussions aimed at strengthening collaboration in the fight against Covid-19".

The news comes a few days after Italy stopped exporting 250,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia.

A decision taken by the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, which in fact constitutes the first intervention in response to delays in deliveries since the EU introduced rules for the transport of vaccines outside the Union.

Also according to the British daily, the EU would like "Washington to ensure the free circulation of shipments of the crucial vaccine ingredients needed in European production, including innovative vaccines with mRNA technology".