AstraZeneca to deliver 9 million additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to EU: Commission Chief

The European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on January 31 said that AstraZeneca will deliver 30 per cent more coronavirus vaccine does to the European Union than it pledged last week. While taking to Twitter, Von der Leyen said that pharmaceutical company will be sending nine million doses and will start deliveries of the vaccine one week earlier than scheduled. The recent development comes after days of tensions over production delays and the EU accusing the company of diverting its share to Britain and other countries. 

The first deliveries are expected to start in the second week of February. Von der Leyen informed that AstraZeneca would also extend its production capacity in Europe. While speaking to Germany’s ZDF broadcaster, the EU chief added that the aim of the bloc was still to vaccinate 70 per cent of adults by the end of summer. 

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EMA grants approval to AstraZeneca’s vaccine

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that AstraZeneca is the third company to receive approval in the European Union after American firms Pfizer and Moderna were granted CMA earlier last month. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reviewed the trial data and unanimously recommended the vaccine for use in adults aged 18 years or older. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the EMA has recommended the use of two doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine in adults at 4 to 12 weeks interval. 

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. 

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