EU seeks access to US-produced AstraZeneca vaccines amid shortfall: Report

The European Union will urge the US to permit the export of millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine as it scrambles to bridge supply shortfalls. According to the Financial Times, the EU additionally also wants Washington to ensure the free flow of shipments of crucial vaccine ingredients needed in European production. The European Commission has said that the 27-nation bloc trust that they can work together with the US to ensure that vaccines produced or bottled in the US for the fulfilment of vaccine producers’ contractual obligations with the EU will be fully honoured. 

EU aims to vaccinate 70 per cent of adults by the end of summer. The European countries are under pressure to vaccinate more people because of the ongoing restrictions that are severely affecting the lives and businesses in the region. Several European countries reintroduced lockdowns after the detection of new COVID-19 variants, which are contributing to the higher caseloads and fatalities. European hospitals are also feeling the pressure because of an increase in hospital admissions in the recent past. According to Bloomberg, the EU’s vaccination progress is so far lagging far behind the UK and the US.

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EU, Italy blocks AstraZeneca shipment 

Meanwhile, the European Commission and Italy have blocked a shipment of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine destined for Australia. This is the first instance when a country has used the new EU law to prevent vaccine doses from being exported. The law was introduced after AstraZeneca said it would not be able to fulfil its contractual obligation with the EU due to production issues. However, the bloc believed that AstraZeneca was supplying its share of vaccine doses to other countries, hence, the law. 

The decision to withheld the doses comes after a month-long tussle between AstraZeneca and the European Union, which faced a shortage of jabs following the company informed of a delay. According to reports, the Italian foreign ministry justified Rome's action saying Australia falls under the "non-vulnerable" category when it comes to the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 disease so far. The ministry said that the decision is a result of the continued shortage of vaccines in Italy and Europe. 

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