What really happened to AstraZeneca: political intrigue, selfish decisions and a lot of fear

Laurinavičius: the EU seeks a solution

A major communication and reputation crisis is what the EU and AstraZeneca have been doing recently. How Delphi said Marius Laurinavičius, an analyst at the Vilnius Institute for Political Analysis (VPAI), that the development of this crisis could have been prevented.

“I think it was mainly due to poor communication or mistakes made early on. From where it all started, some countries have decided that it is not possible to get that vaccine because something is wrong there. Here, one thing is the communication problems, the other is the unanswered questions that had to be answered before the start of the distribution of that vaccine, ”said M. Laurinavičius.

According to him, the EU also contributed to the confusion over misinformation spread by the Kremlin and confessors of conspiracy theories.

“The disinformation of Russia has ignited, the dissemination of conspiracy theories has ignited, which is not necessarily related to Russia, but they simply are. Then, like all human health issues, it became a personal story of each person and it automatically became a particularly politically sensitive issue, ”the expert explained.

M. Laurinavičius pointed out that there is no evidence that AstraZeneca can really be unsafe, but according to him, some countries have made the decision to stop vaccination with this vaccine to be sure.

“Some would say that insurance is probably good for human health, but I would say you have to weigh the risks, when probably more than 10 people die every day in Lithuania and there is no proven case of a person dying from the disease. vaccine, those risks must be weighed. Politicians in Lithuania should also intervene, “said the VPAI analyst.

Asked whether the position of Brussels and the temporary decision of the EU member states to stop vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine could be related to the problems of relations between the Community and the United Kingdom, M. Laurinavičius answered negatively.

“This is a political issue, but I don’t think it is about revenge, especially considering how politically Europe can succumb to pressure from Russia and the Sputnik V vaccine.” I don’t think it’s about political relations. Even with all my criticism of the EU’s policy towards Russia, I think Russia’s approach is different from Great Britain, “he said.

Although Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has stated that Lithuania will not use the Sputnik V vaccine, the Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday that the EU is considering starting negotiations with Russia on the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine.

According to Laurinavičius, the EU is forced to find a way out of the crisis, especially since several countries have already announced the purchase of Sputnik V.

“We are simply looking for ways to maintain a common EU policy. Now we have even a few countries that buy, bring and receive a vaccine that is not approved by the European Medicines Agency. The production of that vaccine is being consulted with several others. I believe that this process, which is underway, is the search for a solution in a situation in which the EU no longer has a common policy on the subject and then the problem arises of what to do with it, “said the expert. .

He noted that Russia is also putting a lot of effort into this and is putting a lot of pressure on Europe.

“Russia is exerting tremendous pressure, putting all the tools, including bribery of politicians and the like. Until the vaccine is approved by the European Medicines Agency, it cannot be used in the EU. As for the vaccine In itself, this is not my area, but as far as I see information in the public space, there are many questions about it – if even India has not approved it, what are we talking about? ”Continuation M .Laurinavičius.

According to an analyst at VPAI, the Russian-developed vaccine has largely become a geopolitical tool.

“It just came to our attention then.” What we can do is maintain our position, both the Government and the Presidency have made that position very clear and I see no reason to change that position, “he said.

Remnant: politicians shouldn’t explain which vaccine is good or bad

For his part, Professor Šarūnas Liekis of Vytautas Magnus University (Vytautas Magnus University), speaking about the political aspect of the vaccine trade, pointed out that similar symbols are frequently used during crises.

“When there are tensions between countries, when there is a crisis, symbols are generally played all the time, for example, a boycott of one or another merchandise is announced. (…) These demonstrations are sufficiently numerous’, Delphi speak. Liekis.

According to him, the vaccine is being politically instrumentalized, which forces us to consider “underwater” currents.

“Obviously, everyone is beginning to suspect that perhaps the British are here because of Brexit. (…) The narratives that accompany vaccines are obviously usable: the stories about those vaccines go beyond their functional limits, the vaccine is like a vaccine, but as there is now a global health crisis and many countries are mishandling that crisis, the action is inadequate. They do not find the appropriate measures, that is why they seek blame, “said the political scientist.

However, it argued that the suspension of AstraZeneca should not be linked to problematic relations between the Community and the UK in some countries.

“The EU is responding to the real statistical situation: statistically there are some people with clotting problems and (discussed – aut.p.) how much risk is combined with the benefits that come. It is always a calculation and there are still reputational things,” he emphasized The teacher.

S. According to Liekis, politicians should explain less about the safety or insecurity of vaccines, because scientists know better.

“They are very specialized things in which politicians should not interfere, but unfortunately politicians interfere and express their opinion about one or another vaccine, whether good or bad. This is not a question of that level, it should not be politicized”, emphasized the expert.

At the same time, he noted that AstraZeneca itself is not protecting its product enough and that other countries are taking advantage of the turmoil.

“All parties use it in propaganda exchanges; Russia uses it to show their success, but all parties have their own interests. It is obvious that when there is such a crisis in the health system, all possible measures are sought that can help. ”Said Š. Liekis.

Vilpišauskas: debates on the acquisition of Sputnik V driven by independent decisions of EU countries

Ramūnas Vilpišauskas, a professor at the Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science (VU TSPMI), shared similar thoughts when analyzing the current situation in the European Union through a geopolitical and political prism.

It would probably make more sense to talk about geopolitics in vaccination and distribution when we talk about the actions of Russia or China in other countries when their vaccines are offered, although vaccination in Russia itself is very underdeveloped, and even more so because what is offered is still it has not occurred ”, pointed out R. Vilpišauskas.

According to him, these states seek to change attitudes towards the sale of vaccines.

“If we talk about what is happening between the EU and the UK, (…) it would be more accurate to talk about the importance of national politics here, because politicians from all EU countries think about how the decisions of Managing a pandemic can affect your popularity, “VU said. TSPMI professor.

According to R. Vilpišauskas, some EU countries have decided to stop vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine because they want to satisfy the interests of their voters, despite the arguments of scientists. Thus the collective action developed and the problem arose.

“What we see is what I would call the impact of domestic policies on cross-border relationships when it comes to the distribution and sale of vaccines manufactured in different countries. I would use this prism to explain various disputes or restrictions on the vaccine trade, as each country and its politicians try to look first at the interests of their constituents. As a result, we have seen a variety of discussions, and now we are seeing decisions to stop vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccines, even though the European Medicines Agency still claims that their benefits outweigh the potential risks in terms of side effects. ” said the expert.

Paradoxically, as R. Vilpišauskas pointed out, the biggest problems arose with the vaccine developed by the British and Swedish company AstraZeneca.

“This paradoxical situation can be explained by contradictory reasons, on the one hand, to face the pandemic as soon as possible, on the other hand, the risk, fear associated with the use of recently developed vaccines,” said the professor.

Like other interlocutors, R. Vilpišauskas drew attention to the independent decisions of some member states of the community.

“Of course, the situation is complicated by the fact that some EU countries, in particular Hungary, have already started using the vaccine, although I don’t know how many people have been vaccinated and how much is a desire to show independence from the EU. joint obtaining. In Hungary, this desire to show a different opinion is very visible, “said the expert.

According to him, this is the main concern, as it shows divergent approaches to geopolitical issues within the EU itself. R. Vilpišauskas also recalled that Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, visiting Lithuania, said that if the European Medicines Agency approves the Sputnik V vaccine, it will be used in Estonia.

“The question that really arises here is whether the Baltic states themselves can have a common approach on this issue,” noted R. Vilpišauskas at the same time.

However, he said he believed the EU’s discussions on negotiations with Russia were primarily to find a way out of the pandemic.

“I think this shows, firstly, that pandemic management is given priority and if there are measures that can outweigh the risks to human health, those measures can be used. If individual EU countries start using them So it is probably not surprising that the EU institutions are starting to discuss the need to address these issues in some coordinated way, as it is also related to the issue of vaccine passports, ”said the VU TSPMI professor.

According to R. Vilpišauskas, the fact that the Sputnik V vaccine is already being vaccinated in Hungary, which has not been approved by the European Medicines Agency, may cause problems in approving the introduction of the so-called green passport (immunity).

“This is one of those examples where the idea of ​​a passport itself becomes problematic, because the question arises of how to treat those who have been vaccinated with vaccines not recognized by the European Medicines Agency,” added R. Vilpišauskas.