A nurse prepares a Covid-19 vaccine syringe during a vaccination campaign at a residence in Athens.
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The European Union has been criticized for the speed of its deployment of Covid vaccines, as its two largest economies extend coronavirus restrictions due to case concerns.
Several European officials have expressed concern over the bloc’s vaccination plans in recent days and have called on the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, to explain why it has not bought more blows.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, to date more than 17 million cases of coronavirus have been reported in the region (including the United Kingdom).
“It’s hard to explain that a very good vaccine is being developed in Germany, but it is being vaccinated more quickly elsewhere,” Markus Söder, leader of the German region of Bavaria, said in an interview over the weekend, according to Politico. The German company BioNTech has developed, together with Pfizer, one of the first Covid vaccines.
The European Union began its vaccination program in late December, following the approval of the Pfizer / BioNTech jab. Although it was developed in Germany, the jab received approval in the United Kingdom and the United States long before the European authorities gave the green light.
Uğur Şahin, chief executive of BioNTech, also told the German press over the weekend that “the process in Europe was certainly not as quick and easy as in other countries.”
Meanwhile, the UK has approved two more vaccines, but the European Medicines Agency has not yet ruled on AstraZeneca’s or Moderna’s offers.
In addition to concerns about deadlines, there are also questions about whether the EU has bought enough vaccines.
“The (European) Commission must live up to this goal. To this end, how will the EU compensate for the lack of dossiers acquired in the Union?” Luis Garicano, a European legislator, wrote in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the weekend.
The European Commission has signed six contracts with vaccine manufacturers on behalf of European countries. Each EU country will receive the vaccines at the same time and distribution will be per capita.
Among these contracts, the EU agreed to buy 200 million doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine with the option to buy an additional 100 million doses. The Commission also agreed to buy 300 million doses of vaccine from AstraZeneca, with the option to buy an additional 100 million. His contract with Moderna agrees to a purchase of 80 million doses, plus an option to buy up to 80 million more.
According to the region’s statistical office, there are more than 447 million citizens living in the 27 EU countries.
“Israel, a nation with only 50% of the EU population, has vaccinated more of its citizens than all EU member states put together. Madam President, how is that possible?” Garicano asked von der Leyen in his letter.
A European Commission spokesman said Monday that the institution “was very focused on ensuring that the implementation of our strategy was done well.”
“The commission has understood very, very soon that both the acquisition of vaccines and the vaccination process would be important efforts for the European Union,” the spokesman said virtually.
France, one of the most skeptical nations in the EU vaccine, announced last week that it would step up its vaccination process. The country is also reviewing curfew hours in the hardest-hit regions to try to contain the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, Germany, where there has been a national shutdown since late November, will extend that emergency measure until the end of the month.
Visitors line up outside a vaccination site against Covid-19 at the Berlin Arena in Berlin, Germany.
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