BRUSSELS (AP) – Frustration is mounting from Europe to North America over the reduction of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine shipments, while the US pharmaceutical company is increasing production capacity at its Belgian plant. Governments say it is costing critical time during the early stages of deployment to care for homes and hospital staff.
Italy has threatened legal action. The leader of Canada’s most populous province said Pfizer’s chief executive should be chased “with a firecracker”. A senior EU official jealously invoked the principle of “pacta sunt servanda”, a Latin phrase meaning “agreements must be kept”.
The EU and many nations are under pressure for what is seen as the slow start of their vaccination campaigns compared to countries like Israel and the UK. Pfizer aggravated the problem last Friday when it announced a temporary reduction in deliveries in order to increase its plant in Puurs, Belgium, which supplies all shots delivered outside the United States.
The delay, which the pharmaceutical giant said would last a few weeks, not only affects the number of people who can be inoculated during this period, but also removes the careful choreography that governments drew up to get elderly residents and caregivers had the necessary doses. within a strict schedule of several weeks.
“It means huge complications for us,” Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said. Similar complaints could be lodged in other EU countries, from Denmark to Belgium.
“Indeed,” added European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, “we were all surprised by Pfizer-BioNTech’s announcement to delay.”
The EU now expects Pfizer to deliver to the entire bloc of 27 countries 92% of what was expected this week and next. It is expected to recover the remaining 8% during the week of February 15
Von der Leyen said the immediate challenge would be to get enough doses to make sure people who already had the first Pfizer vaccine received their second shot within the recommended range.
“It is of the utmost importance that we get the doses set out in the contract,” the EU executive committee negotiated on behalf of member countries. In general, the EU is expected to obtain up to 600 million doses of Pfizer.
Several U.S. states also report difficulties in getting enough vaccines. The full explanation for the apparent mismatch between supply and demand was unclear, but last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggested that states had unrealistic expectations of the amount of vaccine that was on the way.
In Europe, harsh criticism of Pfizer contrasts with the accolades the company received last month for being exceptionally quick to produce a COVID-19 vaccine considered safe and effective. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine authorized for use in the United Kingdom, the EU and the United States.
Pfizer told The Associated Press late Wednesday that any small step back now would result in a big leap forward at the end of the year. The company initially planned to produce 1.3 billion doses this year.
“We have explored innovative ways to increase the number of doses we can supply this year and now believe we can deliver approximately 2 billion doses by the end of 2021,” the company said in a statement.
But even if this point is understood, many European officials said they were disappointed by what they saw as a lack of fluid communication.
“The problem lies mainly in Pfizer’s notice,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said. “This is an annoying problem.”
“I understand the reason why (plants) have to be converted in the short term to increase capacity in the medium and long term,” he said. “But it’s very unsatisfactory that we’ve been told … basically overnight.”
The urgency and anticipation of vaccination in the EU of 27 countries, where 400,000 people have died from the virus, is also matched in Canada, a nation of 37 million with a pandemic death toll of more than 18,000.
Major General Dany Fortin, who leads Canada’s logistics launch and vaccine distribution, said Pfizer has completely postponed next week’s deliveries and that there will be a significant decline in vaccine supply over the next three weeks. .
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said the deficit is more than an annoying logistical drawback.
“I am angry with the situation that other countries are getting it,” Ford said. He said that if he were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he would call Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla every day and go there “with a firecracker”.
“I wouldn’t know what hit him.” Ford added. “I wouldn’t stop until we got these vaccines.”
The European Union is likely to pursue Pfizer with a different weapon but with equal fervor. The 27 leaders have scheduled a video summit on Thursday where vaccine deployment will be a key topic.
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Rob Gillies in Toronto, Nicole Winfield in Rome, Sam Petrequin in Brussels, Karel Janicek in Prague and Frank Jordans in Berlin collaborated.
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