Read on Twitter
If this Spiegel piece on the EU's vaccine strategy is accurate, its contents are pretty explosive:
1. Relative to its population Germany is getting 60% more doses of the Moderna vaccine than other member states;
2. Germany and France are also getting ... https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/corona-impfstoff-deutschland-sichert-sich-zusaetzlichen-impfstoff-auf-kosten-anderer-staaten-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000174784610
1. Relative to its population Germany is getting 60% more doses of the Moderna vaccine than other member states;
2. Germany and France are also getting ... https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/corona-impfstoff-deutschland-sichert-sich-zusaetzlichen-impfstoff-auf-kosten-anderer-staaten-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000174784610
... a disproportionate share of the 100m extra BioNTech/Pfizer doses, while Poland, Belgium, Czechia & others get none. (Article suggests some countries "forgot" to join the order while there are also claims of "pressure" from the bigger countries)
3. The EU nearly snubbed ...
3. The EU nearly snubbed ...
... the BioNTech vaccine altogether bcos was thought to be too expensive and based on risky mRNA technology - in the end it was only ordered at Berlin's insistence because "no one wanted to give Germany a slap in the face"
4. Pfizer allegedly tried to wriggle out of liability ...
4. Pfizer allegedly tried to wriggle out of liability ...
... but eventually struck some kind of secret compromise with the EU
5. Berlin supposedly claims France insisted on ordering the (badly delayed) French Sanofi vaccine and "put the brakes" on the BioNTech order
6. The MEPs who are tasked with overseeing the process have almost ...
5. Berlin supposedly claims France insisted on ordering the (badly delayed) French Sanofi vaccine and "put the brakes" on the BioNTech order
6. The MEPs who are tasked with overseeing the process have almost ...
... no idea what is actually going on inside the vaccine steering committee.
All in all it sounds as though vaccine nationalism may be causing some quite serious problems.
All in all it sounds as though vaccine nationalism may be causing some quite serious problems.
A few additional notes:
- the distribution of the extra BioNTech doses is said to be under renegotiation, with Poland in line to receive roughly 650k and Belgium to get 150k
- Germany has separately & unilaterally made extra orders of the BioNTech and CureVac vaccines, both ...
- the distribution of the extra BioNTech doses is said to be under renegotiation, with Poland in line to receive roughly 650k and Belgium to get 150k
- Germany has separately & unilaterally made extra orders of the BioNTech and CureVac vaccines, both ...
... of which were developed by German companies. Totalling about 50 million supplementary doses: https://www.aerzteblatt.de/nachrichten/119620/Bund-sichert-mehr-Coronaimpfdosen-fuer-Deutschland
- The heavy criticism in Germany of Jens Spahn, the health minister, may not be wholly justified - overall he seems to have secured a relatively big share
- The heavy criticism in Germany of Jens Spahn, the health minister, may not be wholly justified - overall he seems to have secured a relatively big share
