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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the EU has extended its contract with Pfizer / BioNTech in order to purchase an additional 300 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
This would double the number of doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines purchased by the Commission to 600 million.
Ms Von der Leyen said that delivery of the additional doses would begin in the second quarter of this year.
In a statement, the commission said: “The European Commission today proposed to EU member states to purchase an additional 200 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine produced by BioNTech and Pfizer, with the option to purchase another 100 million doses.
“This would allow the EU to buy up to 600 million doses of this vaccine, which is already being used throughout the EU.
“Additional doses will be delivered from the second quarter of 2021.”
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The statement added: “The EU has acquired a wide portfolio of vaccines with different technologies. It has obtained up to 2.3 billion doses of the most promising candidate vaccines for Europe and its surroundings.”
In addition to the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, a second vaccine, produced by Moderna, was licensed on January 6, 2021. Other vaccines are expected to be approved soon.
“This portfolio of vaccines would allow the EU not only to cover the needs of its entire population, but also to supply vaccines to neighboring countries.”
We ensure that Europeans have enough safe and effective doses # COVID-19 vaccinations
Now we allow EU countries to buy more doses of the first vaccine approved in the EU.
Now they can buy up to 300 million more doses of the #BioNTech/@Pfizer vaccine.https: //t.co/vjZd0L17VL
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 8, 2021
Ireland received the first batch of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine on December 26 and it is being rolled out in hospitals and nursing homes across the country.
The head of the Health Service Executive said yesterday that 15,314 first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered out of the 81,900 doses that have been delivered.
Chief Executive Paul Reid said the program is on track to have 35,000 doses delivered by the end of the week.
Last month, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told the Oireachtas Health Committee that Ireland was to receive 2.3 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine under the initial EU agreement.
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