PROPERTY SEARCH
PROPERTY SEARCH
ARCHIVED - EU break with AstraZeneca leaves thousands of Spanish essential workers in vaccine limbo
The EU’s ongoing disagreement with AstraZeneca is leaving thousands of doses unused and many who have received their first jab in limbo.
Following a series of disagreements between the EU and AstraZeneca over the delivery timetable and safety of the company’s vaccine, the Europe Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, announced on Monday that the EU will not renew its contract with AstraZeneca beyond June.
The company had initially promised to send the EU 120 million doses of its vaccine in the first quarter of this year, however demand from other parts of the world, including the UK, and production problems, meant AstraZeneca only supplied 30 million.
The EU initially began an amicable dispute resolution procedure to resolve the issues with supply, however the EU Community Executive confirmed that this step did not solve the problem and a lawsuit was later filed against the company with the EU now confirming that it will not renew its contract for further AstraZeneca vaccines.
Instead, officials have since announced a new contract with Pfizer for 900 million vaccines for the period 2021 to 2023, with an option to purchase the same amount again if needed.
The announcement that the EU will not be purchasing further AstraZeneca vaccines has left a lack of clarity over what will happen to the thousands of essential workers in Spain who have received their first dose of the jab, however.
Currently, the AstraZeneca vaccine is only being administered to those aged over 60 in Spain following controversy over the risk of blood clots from the jab from those in other age groups.
This is leaving thousands of unused vaccines to pile up, with Andalucia reporting a surplus of 150,000 doses and Murcia reporting 70,000, while uncertainty over continued supplies and safety is leaving essential workers unsure when they will receive their second vaccine.
Regions are now calling on Spain’s central government to allow the AstraZeneca vaccine to be administered to those under 60 in a bid to use up the jabs.
On Wednesday evening the national Consejo Interterritorial de Salud meets to discuss various issues, and this is one of the principal topics on the agenda.
Contact Spanish News Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268
