Coronavirus: EU says AstraZeneca must 'catch up' on vaccine deliveries BBC - https://tinyurl.com/4hyuduwk European Union leaders have stopped short of banning vaccine exports after a protracted row with the Anglo-Swedish manufacturer AstraZeneca. At a summit on Thursday they gave backing in principle for toughening export controls. But a post-summit statement emphasised the importance of global supply chains needed to produce vaccinations. Elements of the AstraZeneca vaccination are manufactured in a number of EU states. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said AstraZeneca must "catch up" on deliveries to the EU before exporting doses elsewhere. French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters this marked "the end of naivety" from the EU. Vaccine rollouts in EU states have started sluggishly, and the bloc has blamed pharmaceutical companies - primarily AstraZeneca - for not delivering promised doses. AstraZeneca has denied that it is failing to honour its contract. The EU is expecting to receive about 30 million AstraZeneca doses by the end of March, less than a third of what it was hoping for. "I think it is clear that first of all the company has to catch up," Mrs von der Leyen told a news conference after the virtual leaders' summit. "[It] has to honour the contract it has with European member states before it can engage again in exporting vaccines," she said. "We want to explain to our European citizens that they [can] get their fair share." The EU was accused, primarily by the UK and the World Health Organization (WHO), of so-called vaccine nationalism after it introduced export controls on jabs produced within the bloc. In response, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that "blockades" were not "sensible". He said a ban would imperil the UK's vaccination drive, which has so far been more successful than EU member states' vaccine programmes. Mr Johnson also warned that a ban that extended beyond AstraZeneca's disputed supply could also block jabs produced for BioNTech/Pfizer in Belgium. France's foreign minister said on Friday that the EU "shouldn't be paying the price" for the UK's vaccination policy. "One can't play with blackmail, having given a lot of first jabs and then run into problems with the second," Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Info radio. Mrs von der Leyen said on Thursday that EU was the "region that exports most vaccines worldwide" and invited other countries to "match our openness". Her comments came a day after the EU issued a joint statement with the UK in which both sides pledged to work together after weeks of tensions over the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron backed the EU's export controls. "I support the fact that we must block all exports for as long as some drug companies don't respect their commitments with Europeans," he said. Earlier, he expressed frustration at the slow pace of much of Europe's vaccine rollout. "We didn't shoot for the stars," he told the Greek television channel ERT before the summit. "We were wrong to lack ambition." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said while his fellow leaders had found the Commission's tougher export measures "acceptable", he hoped they would never be used - a message echoed by his Belgian counterpart, Alexander De Croo. Both those two countries are home to factories involved in the production of the AstraZeneca shot, which it's suggested may soon be sending increased supplies to European nations - a move that may assuage some EU anger, BBC Brussels correspondent Nick Beake reports. Mr Rutte said an agreement with the UK over AstraZeneca components produced in the Netherlands could be announced this weekend. How will the EU boost vaccination? Following the virtual summit, the EU's 27 member states agreed to try and ramp up the production of vaccines within the bloc. "Accelerating the production, delivery and deployment of vaccines remains essential and urgent to overcome the crisis. Efforts to this end must be further intensified," they said in a joint statement. "We underline the importance of transparency as well as of the use of export authorisations," they added. The EU also called on vaccine manufacturers to "ensure predictability of their vaccine production and respect contractual delivery deadlines". US President Joe Biden also attended the virtual meeting, in an effort to repair ties with the EU after the strained relationship between the bloc and his predecessor, Donald Trump. Ahead of Thursday's meeting, a former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, urged the bloc to avoid a "stupid vaccine war" with the UK. "We are not in war, and we are not enemies," he told the BBC's Hardtalk programme. He added that threats of export bans could cause "major reputational damage" to the EU. How bad is coronavirus in Europe? A third wave of infections is sweeping across much of mainland Europe. EU states have seen some of the deadliest outbreaks of the pandemic, with Italy recording more than 106,000 deaths, France 93,000, Germany 75,000 and Spain 73,000. Yet recent figures show just 12.9 doses of vaccine have been administered per 100 people in the EU compared with 44.7 in the UK and 37.2 in the US. Speaking earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the British variant had become the dominant strain circulating in Germany and amounted to "a new pandemic". "The situation is serious," she said. "Case numbers are rising exponentially and intensive care beds are filling up again." Lockdowns have been re-imposed or extended in countries like Belgium or the Netherlands but there is particular concern over eastern EU states. Poland will close nurseries, pre-schools and hairdressers for two weeks from Saturday after coronavirus cases surged.
"Speaking earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the British variant had become the dominant strain circulating in Germany and amounted to "a new pandemic". Heh, Angela throws this little dig into the discussion just to demonize the Brits. It is amazing how the language works with the virus. If a virus seems to have a arisen or developed in Britain it is called the "British variant." Or in Brazil, the "Brazilian variant," or South Africa, yup, you guessed it, the South African variant. But not only is there no China virus, there is no Chinese variant that can be talked about in those terms.
Coronavirus: France accuses UK of 'blackmail' over vaccine exports BBC - https://tinyurl.com/37awbkwe France has accused the UK of "blackmail" over its handling of coronavirus vaccine exports, amid continuing tensions over supply chains. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was asked whether the EU had been "scammed" by sending millions of doses to the UK while its own rollout stuttered. "We need to build a co-operative relationship," he told France Info radio. "But we cannot deal this way." France has called for the EU to implement tougher export controls. Vaccine rollouts have started sluggishly across the bloc, and the EU has blamed pharmaceutical companies - primarily AstraZeneca - for not delivering its promised doses. AstraZeneca has denied that it is failing to honour its contract. The EU is expecting to receive about 30 million AstraZeneca doses by the end of March, less than a third of what it was hoping for. The UK's vaccination drive, meanwhile, has so far been more successful than that of the EU's 27 member states. On Thursday, following a virtual summit where EU leaders discussed vaccine supplies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was the "region that exports most vaccines worldwide" and invited other countries to "match our openness". (More at above url)
“We Are Hoarding”: Why the U.S. Still Can’t Donate COVID-19 Vaccines to Countries in Need Thanks to America First–style contracts negotiated by the Trump administration and an alarming uptick in domestic cases, the urgent work of planning to vaccinate the rest of the world is stuck in limbo. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/202...donate-covid-19-vaccines-to-countries-in-need
Pfizer plays hardball -- pay up or get to the end of the line... Pfizer said to warn Israel: Pay up or go to the back of vaccine line Dispute between Netanyahu and Gantz delays cabinet authorization of budget to buy additional vaccines; angry company officials reportedly tell Israel, ‘We’re not philanthropists’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/pfizer-said-to-warn-israel-pay-up-or-go-to-back-of-vaccine-line/ Pfizer is threatening to delay further shipments of vaccines to Israel over a delay in payments, reportedly warning that the Jewish state could go the back of the line if it does not pay up, Channel 12 reported Friday. Pfizer said Monday it had completed all vaccine deliveries to Israel under its initial agreement and was working on a new deal to supply more doses to the Jewish state. “The company is currently working with the Israeli government to update the agreement, to supply additional vaccines to the country. While this work continues, shipments may be adjusted,” Pfizer told the Reuters news agency. But a payment delay reportedly sparked a harsh warning from the vaccine maker. Channel 12 said the company warned Israel this week that if the payments do not come in, the doses would be shipped elsewhere. One official reportedly told Israel’s Health Ministry, “We are not philanthropists.” Similar warnings were received from Moderna. Israel and Pfizer agreed to a vaccine deal in November. The drug company, together with its partner BioNTech, supplied Israel with an unspecified number of doses, and the Finance Ministry said it paid NIS 2.6 billion ($785 million). Israel is seeking 36 million more doses, Reuters reported. The shots will be for children, once they are deemed eligible, and to use as booster shots. Coronavirus czar Nachman Ash said Sunday that he believes Israel will start vaccinating children in the next few weeks. Pfizer applied Friday for US authorization for 12-15 year-olds. The procurement of new doses has been delayed by political infighting, however. Late last month, Defense Minister Benny Gantz canceled a cabinet meeting, which delayed ministers’ approval for purchasing additional vaccines. Gantz, who heads the Blue and White party, said he canceled the meeting due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to allow the appointment of a justice minister. Israel has been without a justice minister since last week, which hampers the Knesset’s ability to pass legislation, among other consequences. During the canceled cabinet meeting, ministers were set to vote on a NIS 7 billion ($2.1 billion) spending package on coronavirus vaccines. The Health Ministry expressed concern over the stalled approval for more vaccines and Pfizer was frustrated by the hold-up. Israel has enough vaccines to fully inoculate the remaining unvaccinated population and to give a single shot to recovered COVID-19 patients, Health Ministry Director-General Chezy Levy said. However, he said Israel needed a continuing supply of shots and wanted to “get ahead of the rest of the world.” Levy explained that it is not known how many vaccine boosters individuals may need to stay protected from the virus in the long run. In an interview with Army Radio, Levy confirmed an earlier report that Pfizer was frustrated with the Israeli delay. A report last week said that Netanyahu spoke with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla about the delay in securing the budget. According to Channel 13, Netanyahu asked Bourla to be patient while Israel agrees on the procurement of additional vaccines. “There will certainly be a cost to this. I assume they are turning to other places, and we could be shunted to another place in line,” Levy said. “We need to ensure our place for 2022.” A ministry official said there is enough existing stock of Pfizer vaccines in Israel to start inoculating about 600,000 Israelis aged 12-15. Israel already began inoculating teens aged 16-18 in January. Over half the Israeli population has taken the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. According to Health Ministry data released Friday, 5,307,795 Israelis have received at least one vaccine dose and 4,916,946 have received both. Currently, several million Israelis are ineligible for the vaccine, most of them under the age of 16. According to the latest Health Ministry figures, 209 new coronavirus cases were confirmed Thursday, which along with another 133 since midnight, brought the number of infections since the pandemic began to 835,674. The death toll stood at 6,280. There were 4,199 active cases, with 270 people in serious condition, including 122 on ventilators.
It's about time that Pfizer has ask Israel to pay up especially now that Israel is the world leader in vaccinating its citizens. They're so far ahead of everyone else...there's not even a close 2nd to them. Rumor last year was that Trump will be securing more vaccines for Israel had Trump won re-election. wrbtrader
it feels good punching up since Israel is rich and have vaccinated a lot of people. Pfizer is likely not looking at 3rd world dumps to deliver vaccines however. They keep playing this type of hardball, you'll see generic authorization and/or China/Russia buying more freewill.
It's not only vaccines but other medicines used to treat COVID-19 being "nationalized". India is one of the leading manufacturers of Remdesivir. This decision basically eliminates most of the new Remdesivir doses available to the rest of the world. India bans exports of anti-viral drug Remdesivir as COVID-19 cases surge https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-remdesivir-idUSKBN2BY0EG India said on Sunday it had banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients after a record spike in COVID-19 cases sent demand surging. “In light of the above, Government of India has prohibited the exports of Injection Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) till the situation improves,” the health ministry said in a statement. Seven Indian companies have licensed the drug from Gilead Sciences, with an installed capacity of about 3.9 million units per month.