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reThe EU Commission decided, for a reason, to enter into a contract with Mainz-based company Biontech for just 200 million units of the corona vaccine, with the option of 100 million more doses. In the summer, when contract negotiations began, no one could have predicted how effective the vaccine would be or how quickly it might be available. So they did not want to depend on a single vaccine, the EU authority concluded contracts with six companies.
The price could also have been an argument; Biontech vaccines are among the most expensive. Eastern European countries in particular are said to have urged the Commission to order fewer vaccines from Biontech and more from Astra-Zeneca. But now approvals for the other vaccines took longer. In Germany, the vaccine is scarce, so the decision of the EU Commission at that time is increasingly criticized.
“End the chaos quickly”
In this debate, the head of Biontech, Ugur Sahin spoke. The process in Europe was not as quick and easy as in other countries because individual countries had something to say, the cancer researcher told “Der Spiegel” magazine. The EU also relied on other manufacturers who, after all, could not deliver so quickly. “Apparently the impression prevailed: we will have enough, not everything will be so bad and we have it under control,” Sahin said. “I was surprised.”
Biontech seeks cooperation partners to expand production. “But it’s not like there are specialized unused factories around the world that can produce vaccines of the required quality overnight.” By the end of January, it should be clear whether the company can produce and how much more. The production plant in Marburg will be ready earlier than planned, perhaps in February. In the first half of the year it could produce up to 250 million cans.
The joint order for the vaccine by the EU Commission should be a sign that Europeans are coming together to tackle the pandemic. However, a few weeks ago, the federal government obtained 30 million cans from Biontech based on national agreements.
The insufficient quantity of vaccine in Germany gave the SPD reason to renew its criticism of the federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn (CDU). The parliamentary director of the SPD parliamentary group, Carsten Schneider, called on Spahn to put an immediate end to the “chaos surrounding the delivery and distribution of the vaccine.” At a summit, Spahn must clarify with all pharmaceutical companies that produce in Germany “which production facilities exist and can be usable at short notice,” Schneider said. So far, some 166,000 people have been vaccinated against the corona virus across the country.
