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Britain Refuses EU's Demand for Vaccine Doses

Jamie Dettmer

   A vaccine war has erupted between Britain and the European Union with
   Brussels demanding that tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses
   earmarked for Britain, and made by a British pharmaceutical company, be
   diverted to Europe to make up for a shortfall in promised deliveries.
   The demand marks a sharp political turn in a dispute between the EU and
   drug company AstraZeneca, as well as underscoring the mounting risks of
   vaccine nationalism. It was triggered after the pharmaceutical giant
   announced it would have to cut vaccine doses scheduled for delivery to
   Europe before the end of March from 80 million to 31 million.
   The reduction will add woes to an EU inoculation program that has
   gotten off to a sluggish and at times chaotic start, with only two
   doses being administered so far for every 100 Europeans, compared to
   seven in America and 11 in Britain.
   Bureaucratic missteps and a shortage of vaccine doses have prompted
   frustration across the continent. Hungary is planning to break ranks
   with other EU countries to order supplies of Russia's Sputnik V
   vaccine, which has not been authorized by EU medicine regulators.
   Brussels's health commissioner Stella Kyriakides midweek said that as
   AstraZeneca is blaming production challenges at factories in Europe for
   the shortfall on contracted doses, supplies manufactured by the drug
   company in Britain should be redirected to Europe. The British
   government's order for doses predates the contract the EU signed with
   AstraZeneca by three months.
   "We reject the logic of 'first come, first served' -- that may work at
   the neighborhood butchers but not in contracts," she said Wednesday.
   After a meeting with AstraZeneca, Kyriakides said she regretted "the
   continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule" and expects "the
   fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved."
   AstraZeneca says it has outlined the "complexities of scaling up
   production" of the vaccine but will "continue our efforts to bring this
   vaccine to millions of Europeans at no profit during the pandemic."
   British ministers had until Thursday tried to stay out of the argument
   between the EU and the pharmaceutical giant, but the EU demand for the
   diversion of doses has prompted a political and media outcry in
   Britain, deepening the post-Brexit conflict.
   British tabloid front pages expressed outrage. "WAIT YOUR TURN! SELFISH
   EU WANTS OUR VACCINES," announced the Daily Express. Tabloid rival the
   Daily Mail headline said: "NO, EU CAN'T HAVE OUR JABS!"
   British officials insist that Britain's vaccine order should not be
   impacted by the EU's troubles with deliveries.
   "I think we need to make sure that the vaccine supply that has been
   bought and paid for, procured for those in the UK, is delivered,"
   Michael Gove, a senior minister told London's LBC radio station. "Our
   priority has to be making sure that the people in our country who are
   vulnerable and who we have been targeted for vaccination, receive those
   jobs in those arms." Gove said there can be no interruption to
   Britain's inoculation program.

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