Pfizer vaccine delivery delay casts shadow over EU roll-out plan

Vaccine developer Pfizer said it’s been forced to delay shipments of the Covid-19 shots in the next three to four weeks due to works at its key plant in Belgium.

The American multinational said the modifications at their Puurs factory were necessary in order to ramp up production capacity of the vaccine developed jointly with Germany’s BioNTech.

There will be “a significant increase” in deliveries in late February and March, the pharmaceutical giant assured.

Frustration and regret

European Union countries, however, desperate for more jabs to immunize their respective populations against the coronavirus that has already claimed almost two million lives worldwide, expressed huge frustration.

Germany, the EU’s biggest economy, voiced regret over the “last minute and unexpected” delay, calling on the European Commission (EC) – which undertook joint procurement for the bloc – to “seek clarity and certainty” for upcoming shipments.

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden warned in a letter to the EC that the delay impacts on the “credibility of the vaccination process.”

The six states also want the Commission to “demand a public explanation of the situation” from the pharmaceutical companies concerned.

Across the Atlantic, Canada also affected by the “unfortunate” delays, said such hold-ups and issues are to be expected when global supply chains are stretched beyond their limits.

First to be approved

Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine, which was developed in record time, was the first to be approved for general use by a Western country when the UK gave it the nod on December 2.

The EU followed on December 27.

The latest shipment delay will likely stoke criticism over the EU’s vaccination campaign, which has already been slated for being too slow compared to the US or former EU member Britain.

The European Commission has also been accused of not securing enough doses early enough.

Just last week, the EU struck a deal to double its supply of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine to 600 million doses.

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Variant fears growing

The urgency of immunizing the population has grown over fears of virus variants first seen in South Africa and Britain, which health officials warn are more infectious.

The challenges of getting millions of vaccines around the world are also huge. AFP reported, as the BioNTech/Pfizer jabs must be stored at ultra-low temperatures of about minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 Fahrenheit) before being shipped to distribution centers in specially-designed cool boxes filled with dry ice.

Once out of ultra-cold storage, the vaccine must be kept at two Celsius to eight Celsius to remain effective for up to five days.