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Biontech / Pfizer Vaccine: "Return to Original Delivery Schedule"
Photo: Jochen Eckel / imago images / Jochen Eckel
According to the manufacturers, deliveries of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine will only be reduced for one week.
"Our plant in Puurs, Belgium will experience a temporary reduction in the number of cans in the coming week," Biontech announced on Friday evening.
In the week of January 25th, they will "return to the original delivery schedule."
A Biontech spokeswoman told SPIEGEL that there would also be a delivery in the week affected.
In addition, it is planned to ramp up production soon enough to compensate for the failures of this week by the end of the first quarter.
According to the vaccine manufacturer, the delivery quantities are to be increased significantly.
To make this expansion possible, adjustments in the production process are necessary.
This is the reason for the temporary reduction in the doses shipped at the Pfizer plant in Puurs, Belgium, it said.
Pfizer said production facilities would be expanded to produce more vaccine doses.
Exact numbers were not given.
EU countries will be informed about delivery dates
The EU Commission, the EU member states and other affected countries would be informed of the updated delivery dates.
The two companies emphasized that they were working "tirelessly" to expand their own production capacities and also to call in further suppliers and contract manufacturers in order to increase the overall production capacity.
The Norwegian health institute had previously warned of the consequences of the production cuts for all of Europe: "The temporary cut will affect all European countries," it said.
It would take place "from next week".
Germany is also affected by the bottlenecks.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the promised vaccine will decrease for the next three to four weeks.
The Federal Ministry of Health expressed its regret about the announced bottlenecks.
"This is all the more true because there were binding delivery dates promised by the company until mid-February," said a spokesman according to the Reuters news agency.
Other EU states criticized an “unacceptable situation” in the vaccine supply.
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clh / ptz / dpa
