Schiffling, S and Breen, L (2021) COVID vaccine supply is causing an EU crisis – so what’s being done to speed up production? The Conversation. ISSN 2201-5639

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Abstract

The EU has a vaccine shortage problem. AstraZeneca pledged earlier this month to supply 2 million doses a week to the UK, but has also said it will cut deliveries to the EU from 80 million doses to 31 million during the first quarter of 2021. The UK has vaccinated more than 11% of its population so far. EU nations such as Italy, Poland, Finland and Germany have only vaccinated between 2% and 3%. After the tense Brexit negotiations and the criticism the UK received for not joining the EU vaccine procurement scheme, this difference is stark. The EU, understandably, is keen not to fall further behind in rolling out vaccines and so has demanded it be given doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made in the UK. Whether the EU’s contract with AstraZeneca is a commitment to deliver certain quantities or an agreement for the company to do its “best effort” is contested. The content of the contract and timings of orders will be at the core of arguments over who should receive stock and when. The dispute continues. This is all down to the vaccine pipeline being squeezed – but why are vaccine manufacturers struggling to keep up the pace of production? Details of the contracts between vaccine producers and the UK or the EU are not publicly available, but what is known about the vaccines’ supply chains can explain some of the reasons for the current shortage.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD61 Risk Management R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica
Divisions:	Business & Management (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Conversation Trust
Related URLs:	https://theconversation.com/covid-vaccine-supply-is-causing-an-eu-crisis-so-whats-being-done-to-speed-up-production-154153
Date Deposited:	29 Jan 2021 13:18
Last Modified:	06 Oct 2021 12:02
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/14350

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