The Commission will finalize a new agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech. The EU could now have vaccinated 70% of its adults by July.
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If it were to materialize, this agreement would constitute the largest vaccine supply contract in the world. The European Commission should indeed finalize, in the coming days, a new agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech for the supply of up to 1.8 billion doses vaccines between 2021 and 2023.
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According to an EU official, an agreement in principle would have been reached, but both sides still need a few days to finalize the terms.
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“We will wrap up in the next few days. This will make it possible to secure the doses necessary for boosters in order to increase immunity, “Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference at a Pfizer production site in Puurs, Belgium, along with the company. by Alexander De Croo.
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Third contract
This is the third contract concluded by the European Union with the two companies, which have already agreed to provide 600 million doses before the end of the year.
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While the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently agreed to a 20% increase in production capacity at the Puurs plant, Pfizer boss Albert Bourla said the site would now produce 100 million doses per month from May.
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The manager therefore specifies that his company is on the way to exceeding its objectives, in particular thanks to the reduction in the production time of its vaccine.
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Objective 70%
According to Von der Leyen, member states will have enough doses to vaccinate by July at least 70% of their adult population, thus enabling the EU to achieve collective immunity, a stated goal that has been delayed by delivery delays from several suppliers, including AstraZeneca.
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“At the start of our vaccination campaign, we struggled, but thanks to our large vaccine portfolio, as well as stable and reliable suppliers, we were able to turn the tide.”
