A row has broken out between EU member states over coronavirus vaccine allocation in the latest fallout from AstraZeneca’s worsening supply shortfalls to the bloc. Leaders of a group of European states wrote to the presidents of the European Council and European Commission complaining of “huge disparities” in the allocations of vaccines between member states. The letter, which was signed by Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovenia, calls for a debate at leaders’ level.
However, other member states countered that the six member states are complaining about the adverse results of their own procurement decisions. The commission defended the system, saying the allocation of doses had followed a “transparent process”. The EU is grappling with the consequences of a fresh round of shortfalls in AstraZeneca deliveries as it struggles to get its vaccination drive on track. The British-Swedish company has confirmed to member states that it will only deliver 30m doses in the first quarter of the year, less than the 40m figure expected. That number was itself a big cut from the loom or more shots the EU had originally expected by the end of March.
The company says it is now planning to deliver only 70m doses in the second quarter of the year, instead of 180m. This is in part because it has not been able to source supply from outside the EU because of restrictions on exports being operated around the world. The vaccine rollout in Europe took a further knock on Sunday when Ireland became the latest EU country to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.