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The European Commission has previously been criticized for not administering as many doses of the vaccine as expected. Vaccine production in Europe is now drastically intensifying.
The European Union has signed an agreement with 52 factories to produce and deliver more vaccines to its member countries.
By the end of 2021, Europe will be the world leader in vaccine production, and in a few weeks the number of vaccine doses will increase significantly, Reuters writes.
“Today we have the capacity to deliver 300 to 350 million doses by the end of June,” said EU Commissioner Thierry Breton.
VACCINE DELIVERIES: Commissioner Thierry Breton leads the working group on vaccine deliveries to the EU. Photo: Virginia Mayo
– Immunity throughout Europe
Of the 300 million doses, about 55 million will come from US manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, Breton told Reuters.
On Friday, the EU commissioner visited Reig Jofre’s factory in Barcelona, where production of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine recently began.
– The employees are very professional and work 24 hours a day to support the vaccination strategy, Breton wrote on Twitter after the visit.
This vaccine requires only one dose, which makes vaccination easier and more effective.
Breton has great faith that vaccination in Europe will intensify dramatically towards the summer.
“By July 14, we have a chance to win immunity across the continent,” Breton told the French. TV channel TF1.
July 14 is the French National Day.
Vaccination is improving
Norway obtains its vaccines through the EU. Geir Bukholm, Director of Infection Control at FHI, has great faith that vaccine delivery to Norway will increase considerably in the run-up to summer.
– As forecasts advance, we will have a much larger vaccine supply during April, even more in May and then even more in June, says Bukholm.
INCREASES: Bukholm says vaccine deliveries to Norway will increase significantly in the coming months, if all goes according to plan. Photo: Terje Pedersen
Norway has chosen to stop the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to investigate possible serious side effects. However, Bukholm does not believe that this will have a major impact on further vaccination.
– In June or July, we will have access to so many vaccines that the need to vaccinate everyone over 18 years of age is saturated, says Bukholm.
Two vaccine factories ready
On Friday, the EU Medicines Agency gave the green light to two new vaccine factories in the Netherlands and Germany.
In the Netherlands, the Haix plant has been approved to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine, while a factory in Marburg, Germany, will produce the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
GERMAN FACTORY: BioNTech has started vaccine production in Marburg, Germany. Photo: Michael Probst / AP
Halix’s Leiden factory has been at the center of the latest vaccine talks between the EU and the UK, both of which have reclaimed the factory’s vaccines, writes Bloomberg.
The EU can receive the first doses from the Dutch factory later this month. The first doses of Pfizer / BioNTech can be distributed in early April.
These two new factories will be instrumental in increasing vaccine production in Europe. By the end of the year, Europe may have the capacity to produce between two and three trillion doses, writes Reuters.
– No need for sputnik
The European Commission has been criticized for slowing down vaccination, while the rate of vaccination is increasing in several other countries.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) started an ongoing evaluation of the Sputnik vaccine on March 4, but the EU commissioner, for his part, believes that it is not necessary to use the Russian vaccine.
SPUTNIK V: Russia has developed its own coronary vaccine. Photo: Gent Shkullaku
– We absolutely do not need Sputnik V, says Brenton.
It has made the Russian vaccine manufacturer look red.
– Europeans want a selection of safe and effective vaccines, something they have not been able to provide so far. If this is the official position of the EU, it is not necessary to proceed with the approval of the EMA given its political biases. We will continue to save lives in other countries, Sputnik wrote on Twitter.
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