EU chief promises extra doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
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She also added that the company will be starting the deliveries a week earlier than planned and will also extend its production capacity in Europe
After weeks of worrying and extended talks, the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has announced that the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will be delivering 30 per cent extra coronavirus vaccines to the EU.
She also added that the company will be starting the deliveries a week earlier than planned and will also extend its production capacity in Europe.
The EU chief took to Twitter to make the announcement. "@AstraZeneca will deliver 9 million additional doses in the first quarter (40 million in total) compared to last week’s offer & will start deliveries one week earlier than scheduled," she said. "The company will also expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe."
Step forward on vaccines.@AstraZeneca will deliver 9 million additional doses in the first quarter (40 million in total) compared to last week’s offer & will start deliveries one week earlier than scheduled.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 31, 2021
The company will also expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe.
AstraZeneca had earlier announced a cut of three-quarters in the deliveries of the vaccine that it had promised to deliver in the first quarter. However, the EU had refused to heed to AstraZeneca's excuse of production default and had demanded an immediate inspection into the matter.
Hours later, she also added that extra doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine will also be provided to the EU soon.
Pfizer-BioNTech "will deliver 75 million of additional doses in the second quarter of the year - and up to 600 millions in total in 2021," she tweeted.
We are working with pharmaceutical companies to ensure vaccines are delivered to Europeans. #BioNTech/@pfizer will deliver 75 million of additional doses in the second quarter of the year - and up to 600 millions in total in 2021.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 1, 2021
She explained that her colleagues are working with various pharmaceutical companies to ensure that the European countries get timely and needed deliveries of the coronavirus vaccines.
These announcements have come at a time when the EU has been under immense pressure to rework its aim of vaccinating the locals, with Pfizer announcing a sudden delay in deliveries of coronavirus vaccines after a few days start of the mass vaccine drives around the continent.
Despite the pressure, the EU chief has announced that the aim to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of EU adults by the end of summer is still the same and the officials are working with the pharmaceutical companies to meet the set targets.