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With laboratories across the continent and without controversy, Europe makes Pfizer its go-to vaccine

2021-04-14T20:40:48.401Z


After the controversies with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, the EU seems to be definitely betting on the American pharmaceutical company.


Idafe Martin

04/14/2021 17:01

  • Clarín.com

  • World

Updated 04/14/2021 17:01

The European Union seems to be definitely betting on a pharmaceutical company to continue its vaccination process against the covid.

The European Commission made several announcements this Wednesday that have a coinciding point: they all consist of

strengthening the relationship with Pfizer / BioNTech

(the company is American but the laboratory that devised the vaccine is German and production is made all in Europe) to stop side purchases from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

Brussels made several announcements.

Pfizer, which is meeting delivery deadlines like no other and whose vaccine

does not seem to cause problems

in the form of side effects, announced that it is

increasing by 50 million

doses - up to 250 million - which it will deliver to European countries during the first eight months of the year.

The Pfizer ad helps to partially offset the new headache caused by Johnson & Johnson, which has

paralyzed deliveries

(55 million doses for Europe) after in the United States it was proven that six women had died of clots after receiving the vaccine.

Empty vials with already administered doses of Pfizer vaccine.

Photo: Bloomberg

Six deaths out of seven million doses seems like a minimal side effect, but enough to

damage confidence

in the US drugmaker's vaccine.

The negative ads for AstraZeneca also follow with the definitive abandonment by Denmark, who will not use it again.

In addition, the European Commission announced that it will not renew contracts with Johnson & Johnson itself or with AstraZeneca in the coming years because it will buy 1.8 billion doses of Pfizer.

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said she hopes the pharmaceutical company can further increase its production capacity and deliver more doses this second quarter of the year.

How many people were vaccinated in Europe

Europeans on Tuesday passed 100 million doses administered and 27 million people on the full regimen.

It is a lower percentage considering the 447 million inhabitants of the 27 Member States, but since the beginning of April vaccination has accelerated in such a way that many European countries already vaccinate

at the same

or higher rate than the United Kingdom, which Europe was looking at with envy until March.

The European Union is also trying to

reactivate the tourism sector,

which represents approximately 10% of the European GDP.

The ambassadors in Brussels of the 27 member states gave their approval to the proposal for a 'digital green certificate' or vaccination certificate made last month by the European Commission.

The European Union is also trying to reactivate the tourism sector.

Photo: Shutterstock

In the absence of a vote in the European Parliament, the so-called 'covid passport' aims to facilitate travel within the continent during the next 12 months, but it will not have as many benefits as the European Commission intended.

The governments decided that they reserve the national competence to continue demanding

negative PCR tests

and / or quarantines from any traveler as up to now, also those who have already been vaccinated and have this new certificate.

One of the reasons that the certificate is not useful for travel is that it would be discriminatory for those who have not yet been vaccinated.

The idea of ​​the European Commission that the certificate be delivered to those people who have already passed the disease and have a medical certificate that accredits it is also eliminated.

Science does not yet know

how long

the immunity of those who have already passed the disease lasts.

Covid passport.

In Denmark they already use it.

Photo: EFE

The United States refused to create a similar document that serves to move within the country without restrictions.

The White House considers that it would be

discriminatory

and that there could be risks in the management of private data.

The refusal is similar in the United Kingdom, where they wonder if giving such a certificate to those vaccinated, which could serve not only to travel but also for example to attend a sporting or cultural event, would not be discriminatory in the long run when creating citizens that they would have more rights than the unvaccinated.

The final version approved by the European governments, in the absence of the approval of the MEPs, leaves the idea of ​​the European Commission quite liquefied.

To the point that community sources wonder how useful it will be when the majority of the population is already vaccinated if the travel of the unvaccinated cannot be prevented.

Brussels, special

Look also

How did Europe avoid coronavirus infections on public transport?

Suspend Vaccine Patents!

Developing countries stand up to pharmaceutical companies

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2021-04-14

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