The Polish government has appealed to the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to renegotiate contracts signed for the supply of the Corona vaccine.
Polish Health Minister Adam Nidzielski wrote in a letter to Pfizer seen by dpa in Brussels that it was useless to commit to deals that would deliver hundreds of millions of additional doses to Europe, at a time when demand for vaccines has fallen and the spread of the coronavirus has declined.
Nidzielski said most of Poland's doses were likely to end in destruction, adding that the EU was open to finding a compromise, but accused Pfizer of not showing enough flexibility given how much the pandemic had subsided.
Poland's health minister said Pfizer should act ethically and prioritize solidarity rather than profit, while other EU countries signaled support for Warsaw's position.
In March, Bulgaria said it would destroy millions of vaccine doses. Health Minister Assen Medzhedev told the European Commission that Bulgaria supports the termination of a contract with Pfizer and BioNTech under which his country is obliged to buy coronavirus vaccines until 2025, and said that in addition to Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania also supported this position.
What have we learned from the Corona pandemic?
In a related matter, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention published a number of lessons learned from the Corona pandemic.
"The coronavirus pandemic has taught us useful lessons, and it is important to review and evaluate our procedures to determine which ones have worked and which have not," said Andrea Amun, director of the centre.
"We have to better prepare for future health crises, and this must be done through actions in different areas. This includes investing in and strengthening the health workforce, improving infectious disease surveillance, strengthening risk communication, community outreach and acceptance of collaboration between organizations, countries and regions."
The center identified 4 aspects from which lessons can be learned about the Corona pandemic, and enabling countries to better prepare for future pandemics or any emergencies.
According to the report published on Tuesday, this includes:
The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) confirmed that all these aspects are closely relevant.
As the pandemic approaches the low threshold, the report aims to highlight follow-up actions that can help improve pandemic preparedness in Europe.