Pandemic Politics

"The pandemic is having devastating effects in Europe and all around the world. Protecting the health of our citizens remains our utmost priority, and we must put in place the necessary measures to ensure we achieve this."

"There are binding orders and the contract is crystal clear. AstraZeneca has also explicitly assured us in this contract that no other obligations would prevent the contract from being fulfilled."

European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen

 

"The EU have a dispute with AstraZeneca Sweden, so decide to respond by blocking the supply of vaccines to the UK, which is not a party to the dispute."

"Do the EU not care that they are trashing their international reputation? They were once so keen to talk about the rule of law."

Former UK cabinet minister David Jones

 

"We have millions of doses that we are ready to start shipping to the EU over the next few days and weeks."

"We have identified additional sources of drug substance that we are redeploying from other parts of the world so we can top up the supply in Europe and make sure we can vaccinate as many people as we can as quickly as we can."

AstraZeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot

 

"If no satisfactory solution can be found, I believe we should explore all options and make use of all legal means and enforcement measures at our disposal under the Treaties."

European Council President Charles Michel 

"I think we need to make sure that the vaccine supply that has been bought and paid for, procured for those in the U.K., is delivered."

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove

Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine are prepared to be administered to front-line health care workers under an emergency use authorization. Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

 

 All these civil, diplomatic politicians representing their nations' best interests at a time of high national stress are talking through, around and past one another, rather than to each other in this tug-of-war of vaccine accession. The European Union gave warning on Thursday to drug companies like AstraZeneca that it was prepared to use all means legal, including blocking exports should they fail to agree to deliver vaccine shots as contracted for and promised.

Israel appears to have the inside track with AstraZeneca, not least because their agreement included supplying the pharmaceutical giant with data derived from Israel's vaccine program using the AstraZeneca product; in effect a living laboratory, a Fourth Test to appraise the effectiveness of the shot, thus making the partnership one of mutual value, and placing Israel miles above any other country in its delivery of vaccinations to its public.

That European Union countries lag far behind Israel in administering inoculations, behind the United Kingdom and the United States in rolling out vaccines and is now in the position of scrambling to obtain the supplies needed, happens to coincide with the largest drugmakers in the West's slowing delivery schedules as a result of production problems and factory updates. Not that the EU is alone in this predicament, since Canada too was advised of a slowdown in its Pfizer deliveries as well as Moderna.

The EU threatens its rules on monitoring and authorizing exports of vaccines in the 27-nation conglomerate may see exports being blocked should existing contracts between vaccine maker and the EU membership be violated. Tensions are steadily rising across the world as the global mass vaccination begins to roll out with world powers snagging doses in bulk leaving poorer nations to look for the leftovers. Italy, Germany, France, China and Russia are well behind the leading vaccination-per-head-of -population rollout of Israel, the UAE, United Kingdom, Bahrain and the U.S.

Pfizer, based in New York, and AstraZeneca headquartered in Cambrdge, England have both seen production problems arise at this most critical stage of attempting to control the ongoing spread of the coronavirus with the new, more virulent mutants moving steadily forward. The EU, points out AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot had been late to strike a contract for vaccine supply, leading to the company having insufficient time to smooth out production problems in Belgium.

"There are currently insufficient data available to assess the vaccine efficacy from 65 years of age", European regulators concluded in a draft resolution as they prepare to determine whether to approve AstraZeneca, even as Germany's vaccine committee insists the vaccine be given only to those aged between 18 and 64. Nothing is ever as simple as it may seem, complicating conditions move in with infuriating regularity at times of globall stress. Britain, on the other hand believes the vaccine to be safe and reliable across all age groupings.

 

 Online applications for vaccination in France have had to be suspended for new appointments due to the vaccine shortage. While Madrid and Cantabria regions in Spain have set aside first vaccinations to make use of remaining doses for those awaiting their second shots. Deaths and infections in Portugal have soared since Christmas and there delays in delivery result in those in the top priority now waiting for April.

The Netherlands and Germany look to the necessity for postponing their vaccination centre openings until February. Everywhere concerns have been raised at expectations for delivery going afoul.