The EU and EU-based vaccine making company AstraZeneca has vowed to resolve the supply shortages to the supply 27-member alliance.
This decision came after crisis talks which both the details of the sides as ‘constructive’.
AstraZeneca earlier declared that it could give only a portion of its doses it agreed in January-March. They blamed the delay on production issues at European plants.
Yet the EU said that the firm must honour its promises and fulfil its digs by turning stocks from the UK.
The contract between AstraZeneca and the EU contains a seclusion clause. However, the EU asked the company to release the data anyway.
According to the reports of last week, the EU would get 60 per cent lesser doses. These doses would be around 50 million jabs promised in the first quarter of the year.
The AstraZeneca vaccine, which is developed in collaboration with Oxford University, has not yet been confirmed. The European Union had to approve the vaccine, although this is assumed on Friday.
The EU has been probed for the slow rollout of its vaccine. Moreover, it is also facing slow delays with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The compact has a much larger deal with the US-German vaccine makers.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has stated that he is confident about their supplies and will keep rolling out their vaccines as fast as possible. He added that he is pleased that they have the fastest rollout of vaccines in all of the UK somehow.
What the EU and AstraZeneca have to say?
After the crisis talks on Wednesday, Stella Kyriakides expressed her regret over the recurrent lack of certainty on giving the vaccines. Stella Kyriakides is the Health Commissioner of the EU. She further added that they would work mutually with the company to find solutions for UK citizens.
The spokesperson of AstraZeneca said that the company had committed to even more like co-ordination to collectively chart a path for the distribution of their vaccines at a speedy rate over the upcoming months.
What are the supply issues?
There was a deal of 300 million doses of vaccines signed in August. The deal was between AstraZeneca and the EU, with an option for 100 million more. But the UK-Swedish companies have reported delay in the production at two plants. The two plants are in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Though officials have not confirmed, Reuters news agency has reported that vaccines’ deliveries would be reduced to around 31 million in the first quarter of this year.