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Thread: on the problems with Covid vaccination in the EU. The 27 have bought vaccines and is approving them as a bloc. Giving those medicines to people, once okayed by the regulator, is down to member states. So first the problems with purchasing 1/
The EU, like others incl UK, spread its bets, initially buying 1.3bn doses: 200m Pfizer/Biontech; 300m AZN/Oxford; 300m Sanofi; 225 Curevac; 200m Johnson; 80m Moderna. But it was slower (by a few weeks) to do so than countries like UK, IL, & US. 2/
Critics of the EU approach note that two of the biggest initial buys (Sanofi and Curevac) were products very unlikely to deliver early in 2021 & may not deliver *at all* in 2021. Less charitable observers say EU put FR and GE pharma interests ahead of rapid vaccination 3/
By late 2020, reluctant to give AZN rapid approval, it became clear that only have the Pfizer jab would be available for EU-wide roll out, so they ordered more of that vaccine. As @derspiegel has shown, Germany also started to make national efforts to get more Pfizer doses 4/
All this ordering means the EU is now buying 2.3bn doses for 448m citizens. But as the Commission told MEPs yesterday, really big quantities will not be available until April/May. It aims to pass surplus doses to developing countries. So two big questions remain 5/
Will the slowness of this acquisition process leave EU members exposed if cases surge during the next few weeks? Ireland has seen a steep rise, & this is without the more contagious B117 Covid variant being widespread yet 6/ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErSEyTjXAAAlVyl?format=jpg&name=small
The 2nd big question concerns very different speeds of roll out by member states with the limited supplies they've got - DK quite fast, GE, getting there, FR & NL *way* behind. Could widely differing infection rates prompt intra-EU border closures? 7/7
