EU agrees to buy 300 million more doses of #PfizerVaccine, bringing the total order to 600 million.
Announcing the purchase, President @vonderleyen says the EU's vaccine *purchasing* program has been a success, disputing reports the EU didn't order enough.
Announcing the purchase, President @vonderleyen says the EU's vaccine *purchasing* program has been a success, disputing reports the EU didn't order enough.
By the end of 2020 the Commission had pre-ordered 2 billion vaccine doses (for 450 million people), across a portfolio of 6 vaccines.
Until this week Pfizer (300m doses ordered in 2020) was the only one approved. Moderna (80m ordered) was approved by @EMA_News Tuesday.
Until this week Pfizer (300m doses ordered in 2020) was the only one approved. Moderna (80m ordered) was approved by @EMA_News Tuesday.
There's been griping (largely by German media and politicians prepping for 2021 election) that the problems in the 1st week of vaccination campaigns in EU countries is the fault of the EU's purchasing programme.
But the problem has been production/distribution, not supply.
But the problem has been production/distribution, not supply.
The Commission has no control over how national governments distribute vaccines. VDL says she thinks these are just teething problems.
"Yes, at the beginning there was a bumpy road. That's always the case with these major changes we have to tackle."
"Yes, at the beginning there was a bumpy road. That's always the case with these major changes we have to tackle."
The president notes that Pfizer already said in early December that there were likely to be production bottlenecks, and indeed Europe experienced this.
But she says this issue has been solved in recent days, giving the Commission the confidence to purchase these 300m more doses.
But she says this issue has been solved in recent days, giving the Commission the confidence to purchase these 300m more doses.
VDL stresses repeatedly that EU countries legally agreed last year not to purchase vaccines separately (amid reports 🇩🇪 ordered 30m extra doses for itself)
"The whole portfolio now covers 2.3b doses of vaccine. This is more than enough to vaccinate the whole EU population"
"The whole portfolio now covers 2.3b doses of vaccine. This is more than enough to vaccinate the whole EU population"
TLDR: This is a case of some national politicians blaming the EU for their own failures in 1st week of vaccinating.
They're not using all the doses they've received. The Pfizer vaccine is very difficult to transport and store. The same problem is being encountered in the US.
They're not using all the doses they've received. The Pfizer vaccine is very difficult to transport and store. The same problem is being encountered in the US.
At this point the EU has vaccinated less than UK & US. That's unrelated to procurement, it's because those 2 went ahead with emergency authorisations 2 weeks earlier than EU.
EU countries decided last year to go with a more thorough conditional approval, which takes more time.
EU countries decided last year to go with a more thorough conditional approval, which takes more time.
President von der Leyen points out that both the decision to have a more robust approval and the decision to spread purchases out over a wide vaccine portfolio were taken by these national politicians themselves last year.
Some of them now seem to have amnesia. <end thread>
Some of them now seem to have amnesia. <end thread>
Will today's order of 300 million more doses of the #Pfizer vaccine help speed up Europe's vaccination campaigns?
No.
Since the problem so far has been production bottlenecks and distribution, more orders isn't going to make a difference in the short term.
No.
Since the problem so far has been production bottlenecks and distribution, more orders isn't going to make a difference in the short term.
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