Corona virus vaccine “war”: why Italy blocked the export of Astrogenica vaccine to Australia

AstraZeneca is scheduled to deliver only 40% of the amounts agreed with member states in the first quarter of the year, citing manufacturing problems in some European factories.

In January, the then Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte described the delayed delivery of vaccines from AstraZeneca and Pfizer. “Unacceptable“And accused the companies of violating their contracts.

Italy’s action comes at a time when the EU is in power Widely criticized For its slow vaccination schedule, shortly after Australia began paying Pfizer / Bioentech doses to its citizens.

The Australian government is scheduled to distribute AstraZeneca dosage on Friday.

The Italian government informed the European Commission last week of its intention to block exports.

In a statement on Thursday, the Italian Foreign Ministry explained the decision, saying it had received a request to authorize the export on February 24.

They pointed out their presence from the ministry Given the green light For previous applications, they involved a limited number of experiments in scientific research.

However, the last request was rejected as it exceeded 250,000.

Officials justified the decision by stating that it was not in Australia List of “vulnerable” countries, That there is a shortage of vaccines in the EU and Italy, and that the number of doses is high compared to the amount given to Italy or compared to the overall camp.

Australia said it had already exported 300,000 doses and planned to start local production next month.

“Local production starts with 1 million [de dosis] Deliveries a week from the end of March, it is ready, “said Health Minister Greg Hunt.

“This ship [de Italia] For the next few weeks it was not included in our distribution plan. “

Mark Lowen, Reporter The BBC My Italy

In the bitter vaccine war, it was the decision to release muscle from one of the EU heavyweights.

This is the first barrier underneath New EU plan, Thereby requiring manufacturers to seek authorization to export from the country where the vaccine is manufactured.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank and an influential figure in Europe, argued in a video conference with EU leaders that the rules should be applied accordingly. The hard way, Angered by reducing the amount promised by AstraZeneca to 70%.

Tracy has made it a priority to expedite the vaccination program. He is determined to show that his country – and the EU – will use any means necessary to achieve this.

In August, the European Union signed an agreement with AstraZeneca for more than 300 million volumes, with an option of more than 100 million, but earlier this year the Anglo-Swedish laboratory announced production delays at plants in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Instead of receiving the 100 million dose by the end of March, the EU is now expected to receive it 40 million only.

The European camp accused the company of not respecting its contract and European Health Commissioner Stella Kriakitz said other laboratories in Europe should fill the shortage, without having to deal with registered issues.

Kryakits rejects AstroGeneca CEO’s comments Pascal Psoriasis, This indicated that in their contract, they promised to do their best to deliver a certain number of sizes and did not impose a duty.

As a result of the controversy, the European Union announced export restrictions that began on 30 January “Transparency and Recognition Procedure”.

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