January 18 According to media reports, the number of Pfizer vaccines received by many EU countries is far lower than expected due to the slowdown of the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
In response, six EU countries recently said that the situation was “unacceptable” and warned that it “decreased the credibility of vaccination programs”.
According to reports, in a statement on the 15th local time, Pfizer said that the impact on vaccine shipments was caused by the company’s adjustment of production processes to increase vaccine production.
Pfizer said that although this will temporarily affect shipments from the end of January to the beginning of February, it will greatly increase the supply of vaccines at the end of February and March.
In response, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia urged the European Union to put pressure on Pfizer.
The German Ministry of Health said that Pfizer’s statement was surprising and regrettable, and pointed out that Pfizer had promised to set a delivery date until mid-February.
European Commission President von der Leyen said Pfizer’s CEO had assured her that orders for the first quarter of 2021 would arrive.
The report pointed out that the European Union is not completely dependent on Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, and has approved the use of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Modena in the United States.
However, Pfizer’s slowdown on vaccine shipments will still slow down the progress of the EU’s coronavirus vaccination program.
