European Union looks elsewhere to improve faltering vaccination efforts

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Tue, 2021-03-02 17:03 — mike kraft

Europe's unified vaccination strategy is splintering The European Union's 27-nation vaccine strategy is splintering as member states turn to nations outside the bloc to boost a faltering rollout plagued by supply issues, contract skirmishes and sluggish takeup. Zamira Rahim, CNN CNN

(CNN) The European Union's 27-nation vaccine strategy is splintering as member states turn to nations outside the bloc to boost a faltering rollout plagued by supply issues, contract skirmishes and sluggish takeup.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced Monday that he intends to work with Israel and Denmark on future vaccine production and cooperation around developing further shots to combat new coronavirus mutations. He will visit Israel with Danish leader Mette Frederiksen on Thursday.

The Austrian leader has been sharply critical of the EU's vaccine strategy and the bloc's regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The EU authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in late December 2020, weeks after it had been granted approval in the UK and US.

Brussels has opted for a centralized approach to vaccine procurement and distribution but its plan has been hindered by supply and distribution problems. Only 5.5% of the EU's population of 447 million has received a first vaccine dose, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The EMA has authorized three vaccines -- Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna -- but EU countries can individually give emergency authorization to other shots, as the UK did in December, when it was still in the post-Brexit transition period.

"The European Medicines Agency is too slow in terms of authorization of pharmaceutical companies," Kurz said according to ORF. "That is why we have to prepare for further mutations and should no longer be dependent on the EU when it comes to vaccine production of the second generation."

Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, made similar comments Monday. "The European vaccine effort can no longer stand alone," she said, adding that this was why Denmark and Austria were cooperating to obtain more doses.

Other EU nations have turned to Russia and China to plug the gaps in vaccine supply through unilateral procurements. On Monday, Slovakia granted emergency authorization for Moscow's Sputnik V vaccine, following a delay in supply of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots. ...

ALSO SEE: Austria and Denmark plan vaccines with Israel to bolster slow EU supply --Reuters

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