The European Commission continues to defend its strategy of acquiring Covid-19 vaccines, despite delays in delivery. Speaking in the German press on Sunday 7 March, its President, Ursula von der Leyen, said she expected an average of 100 million doses per month during the second quarter, with a total of 300 million at the end of June.
“By April, the quantities could double again, depending on the manufacturers’ plans, but also because other vaccines are about to be approved”, she said.
Real increase or delay?
By February, the Vice-President of the Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, had announced 300 million doses in the second quarter, while specifying that these calculations were based on the 3 vaccines approved by the EU.
However, at the midday press conference on Monday 8 March, the institution’s spokesman, Eric Mamer, suggested that the 300 million doses Ms von der Leyen was talking about also included the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, on which the European Medicines Agency is due to give its opinion on Thursday 11 March, i.e. a total of four vaccines.
Behind the dialogue, it is therefore once again a matter of a decrease compared to what was expected. In addition to AstraZeneca’s already well-known delays, it seems that Moderna is also encountering difficulties, as evidenced by a Facebook post by Hungarian Minister Gergely Gulyás, which unveils the quarterly commitments of the American laboratory. While the document speaks of 10 million doses for the first quarter of 2021, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) website states that 3.4 million doses have so far been distributed to Member States by Moderna.
The temptation of Russian and Chinese vaccines
The Hungarian minister’s post was aimed in particular at justifying the country’s choice not to use the additional purchase option negotiated by the EU with Moderna. Like several of its neighbours, the country is counting on Chinese and Russian vaccines to complete its stockpile.
A strategy discouraged by the chair of the EMA’s board of directors, Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, who on 8 March “advised” EU member countries against rushed authorisations of the Sputnik V vaccine, citing insufficient data on the people vaccinated at present.
Export Concerns
The EU is concerned about the supply of components for Covid-19 vaccines to laboratories. The United States is applying export restrictions on all vaccine components. EU Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nabila Massrali said EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton was scheduled to meet Jeffrey Zients, coordinator of the Covid-19 team at the White House on 8 March to discuss export restrictions. The EU is seeking to “work in a coordinated way so that there are no bottlenecks” for European vaccine manufacturers, according to an EU source quoted by AFP. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean and Léa Marchal)