Health Canada approves use of AstraZeneca vaccine
- par Carole Baillairge
- dans Divertissement
- — Fév 26, 2021
As AstraZeneca works to fulfill its order in Europe, an executive this week told Congress the company could have 50 million doses ready by April.
"We are hopeful that we will be able to bring our deliveries closer in line with the advance purchase agreement..."
A spokesperson of the British-Swedish company said that AstraZeneca is constantly revising the delivery schedules and informing the commission on a weekly basis.
Citing an as yet unpublished study from Scotland, Fischer said the "rate of protection from the AstraZeneca vaccine was equal to that of Pfizer's".
Soriot said he was disappointed that the lower-than-expected output in AstraZeneca's supply chain has affected their ability to deliver, but stressed they are now doing all they can to ramp up the production and enable the vaccination of over 10% of the European Union population.
A spokesman for the European Commission that coordinates talks with vaccine manufacturers refused to comment on the "confidential" discussions.
The shortfall could hamper the EU's plans to meet its goal of vaccinating 70% of adults by late summer.
France's ministry of health said on Tuesday that only 107,000 AstraZeneca jabs had been administered in the first two weeks of the vaccine rollout, French newspaper La Télégramme reported, despite the country having received more than 700,000 doses.
This is the third vaccine to be given the green light.
The spokesperson did not give specific figures but added that AstraZeneca was "working to increase productivity in its European Union supply chain" in order to hit the delivery target.
Responding to the worries of medical professionals who experienced mild flu-like side effects to the AstraZeneca vaccine, Fischer recommended taking paracetamol in parallel with the injection. Now the drugmaker is raising flags about its second-quarter supplies.
"We will reach 1.7 million doses in February for AstraZeneca, instead of 2.5 million that we previously expected", said the health inistry.
Canada has already pre-ordered 20 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine, which was produced in partnership with researchers at the University of Oxford.
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A sign is seen at an AstraZeneca site in Macclesfield, central England May 19, 2014.
"From the start, we have committed to making our vaccine available to as many countries as possible and at no profit during the pandemic because no-one is safe until everyone is safe", Mr Soriot stated.
The EU has been facing flak for a slow vaccine rollout across the bloc, lagging behind countries like Israel and Britain.
