BRUSSELS: The distribution of an initial 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech across the European Union will be completed by September, a spokesman for the EU Commission said on Monday.
The protracted timetable, which was previously unknown, confirms that the bloc, with a population of 450 million, will need vaccines from other suppliers to speed up inoculations against the coronavirus.
Most EU countries began inoculating healthcare workers and vulnerable people on Sunday with the Pfizer vaccine, which is the only one so far authorised in the 27-nation bloc, and requires a two-dose regimen.
“Distribution of the full 200 million doses is scheduled to be completed by September 2021,” the spokesman told Reuters in an emailed statement.
A spokesman for Pfizer declined to comment on specific schedules or whether the timeline indicated by the Commission represented a delay in planned supplies, adding: “Our timelines are aspirational and can shift based on capacity and manufacturing timelines. These considerations will in turn refine supply projections and delivery schedules”.
Talks are under way on delivery of a further 100 million doses which are optional under the contract sealed with the two companies, the EU spokesman said, confirming an earlier report from Reuters.
The timetable for the additional doses is unclear.
Pfizer’s spokesman said the option for another 100 million doses had not been concluded.
The EU spokesman said most supply contracts agreed by the EU with COVID-19 vaccine makers foresee the majority of deliveries completed by the end of next year.
Belgium and Latvia on Monday joined the growing list of EU countries who have begun vaccinating their populations with the vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.
In Belgium, a 101-year-old senior home resident was the first person in the Brussels region to receive the vaccine, followed by four fellow residents, the Belga news agency reported.
Doctors and nurses were first in line in Latvia, with medical staff at the university hospital in Riga receiving it on Monday.
“The pandemic has taken a lot out of us this year. Hard to believe we can still launch a targeted counterattack in 2020!” doctor Janis Vetra wrote on Twitter after getting his jab. A shipment of nearly 10,000 vaccine doses arrived in Latvia on Saturday, to be administered at 10 hospital vaccine centres. The European Commission announced a joint vaccination launch for Sunday to Tuesday, and the vaccine was ordered for all 27 member states. Germany, Norway and Poland were among the first member states to kick off vaccinations.
Several countries, including Spain, were affected by a delay in shipping from Belgium due to logistical problems. “It seems to be a problem in controlling the temperature,” Spanish media cited Health Minister Salvador Illa as saying on Monday. The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine must be cooled to minus 70 degrees for prolonged storage. It should now reach Spain by Tuesday.
— Reuters/dpa
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