EU vaccine problems: What are the problems with the Covid jab rollout?

29 January 2021, 12:03

Has the EU approved the AstraZeneca vaccine? What coronavirus jabs has the EU ordered? Here’s the latest on the EU vaccine shortages and issues.

For the European Union, the coronavirus vaccine rollout is significantly behind the likes of the UK, US and Israel as they battle with a vaccine shortage.

Issues in Europe surrounding the Covid-19 jab include a shortage across the countries - an ongoing conflict between the UK and EU - and places such as Germany questioning the data around the AstraZeneca jab - something experts have argued back on.

Currently, Denmark is the best performing country in the EU but have still only vaccinated 3.6 of 100 people - a number which will now slow down because of a jab shortage.

EU told to consider legal action follow AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine delay

Here’s all the latest news and updates on the EU vaccine problems from the shortage, whether the EU has approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines and the vaccines they’ve ordered:

Why does the EU have a Covid-19 vaccine shortage?

A complex issue, there is no single answer as to why the EU are struggling to find enough vaccines for Europe’s population.

Firstly, it’s suggested they ordered too few vaccines at a slower pace than the rest of the countries, therefore immediately putting them behind in the order process.

This was slowed down even further as the EU insisted the pharmaceutical companies took responsibility for any negative side effects occurred from the Covid vaccine and they therefore lost out on emergency authorisation on jabs.

Other reports suggest there was insufficient EU funding and lower purchase prices per vaccine could be why deliveries have slowed down.

Recently, to add to the EU vaccine problems, there has been an altercation surrounding the production contract of the AstraZeneca jab, which has been delayed in Europe leaving officials furious.

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claims the contracts state that two facilities in the UK are contracted to produce a set amount of doses intended for the bloc, and called for the deals to be made public to avoid any further escalations.

Pfizer and BioNTech are also experiencing delays with their vaccine delivery.

Has the EU approved the AstraZeneca vaccine?

As it stands, the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is yet to be approved for roll out in Europe.

However, this is expected to happen within days as the European Medicines Agency get ready to give their approval.

What Covid-19 vaccines has the EU ordered?

The EU have contracts and orders in place with AstraZenaca and Pfizer and BionTech - both of which are experiencing delays with the production and delivery of the Covid jab.

The EU have also secured a huge order of the Modern vaccine - the second coronavirus jab they approved.