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Reuters cited diplomatic and official European Union sources that the bloc is targeting the Russian “Sputnik” vaccine in an attempt to return its stalled efforts to vaccinate its citizens, on the right track.
An EU official tasked with negotiating with vaccine manufacturers on behalf of the bloc said that European Union governments are considering starting talks with the developers of “Sputnik V” and that starting the process requires four European Union countries. submit requests in this regard.
Previously, Hungary and Slovakia had already bought the Russian vaccine, and the Czech Republic expressed interest in a similar deal, while the European official said Italy is studying the use of the country’s largest bioreactor to produce vaccines at the ReiThera plant. close. Rome to make “Sputnik V”.
Brussels has been criticized for the slow introduction of the vaccine into the European Union, at a time when Britain, a former member of the bloc, eases restrictions as its vaccination program advances. On the other hand, Italy is stepping up closures and hospitals in the Paris region are about to be overloaded, while Germany warns of a third wave.
For its part, a spokesman for the European Commission, which coordinates talks with vaccine manufacturers, said the European Union is not obliged to initiate talks with the developers of “Sputnik V”, even if the Union’s drug regulator approved the use of this vaccine. .
But “Reuters” indicated that any reluctance by the European Union to start talks with the developers of “Sputnik V” could be weakened if the European Medicines Agency approves the vaccine and if member states agree to produce it in factories on their territory.
According to Reuters, ongoing discussions between European Union governments over the Russian vaccine show a “remarkable change”, after bloc leaders in recent months have expressed doubts about “Sputnik V” under the pretext of the lack of data, describing it as a “propaganda tool for the Kremlin’s foreign policy.”
The signs of transformation emerged after the publication of the trial data in the prestigious international journal “Lancet” on February 2, which confirmed that the efficacy of the Russian vaccine is around 92%, which is superior to the vaccine “AstraZeneca “and close to that of the” Pfizer “and Moderna vaccines.
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