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Scarce resource: AstraZeneca vaccine
Photo: Gareth Fuller / dpa
The Swedish-British vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca has again corrected the announced delivery volume downwards.
Accordingly, the member states of the European Union should only receive 30 million doses of corona vaccine by the end of the month - ten million less than last announced.
This was also a reduced amount: Originally, AstraZeneca had contractually agreed to deliver 90 million cans.
A spokesman for AstraZeneca declined to comment to the Reuters news agency.
According to Reuters, corporate circles say that there have been difficulties with international supply chains.
The »Süddeutsche Zeitung« reported that the bottleneck was caused by start-up difficulties in a Belgian plant of the contract manufacturer Thermo Fisher.
EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton, who also heads the Commission's vaccine task force, expressed his frustration with the vaccine maker's announcement.
AstraZeneca must now "meet the fiduciary duties" and do what is necessary "to fulfill the commitments," he wrote on Twitter.
more on the subject
Coagulation disorders after AstraZeneca vaccinations: »More coincidence than cause« By Heike Le Ker
There are also current concerns about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine: after reports of coagulation disorders, several EU countries had suspended vaccination with the vaccine.
However, it is unclear whether the vaccine caused the blood clots or whether they happened at the same time.
The European Medicines Agency (Ema) has so far only reported 30 cases of coagulation disorders after an AstraZeneca vaccination - and that in almost five million people vaccinated so far.
That would correspond to a rate of 0.006 per 1000 people.
There are also delivery problems at Johnson & Johnson
The US manufacturer Johnson & Johnson is also having problems with delivery.
After the vaccine was approved in the EU on Thursday, the EU ordered 200 million doses of it.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) then said on ARD: "The truth is that deliveries can be expected in mid-April at the earliest - according to Johnson & Johnson."
The background to the late start of delivery of the corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson in Europe are new doubts about whether the USA will allow the export of vaccines filled there.
That's why the company says it has switched its supply chain to bypass the US.
The filling should now take place in a different location and the change will take some time, the news agency dpa quotes EU circles.
Originally, the filling - the so-called fill and finish - of the vaccine developed in the Netherlands and partly produced in the EU was supposed to take place in the USA, also for deliveries to Europe.
For a long time it was said that there were assurances from Washington that the quantities intended for the EU would be returned.
Now there is new uncertainty about the American line, confirmed several sources in Brussels.
The fact that Johnson & Johnson has switched the production routes for European deliveries is therefore reassuring, said an EU representative.
Former US President Donald Trump had imposed an export ban on corona vaccines, which his successor Joe Biden has not yet lifted.
Biden merely announced: "If we have a surplus, we will share it with the rest of the world." First, however, the Democrat in the USA is pushing for speed: from May 1st, all adults should be offered a vaccination.
Jens Spahn criticizes the USA
Spahn had criticized the USA on ARD.
The health minister said that over the past twelve months, one had to experience again and again that "certain products have not left the USA" with regard to drugs and tests.
"I find this problematic, also in terms of being together in the transatlantic partnership." This must now be discussed with the partners.
The vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is said to be the only one to offer full protection with just one dose.
It can also be stored in simple refrigerators.
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bah / Reuters / dpa