European Union 'Not Treated Fair' By COVID-19 Vaccine Suppliers - Lawmaker

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) Recent announcements by AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech that deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to the European Union would be reduced shows that the bloc is not being treated fairly by suppliers, Peter Liese, a German member of the European Parliament, said on Tuesday.

AstraZeneca on Friday said that deliveries to the European Union in the first quarter of this year could be reduced by 60 percent due to a production issue. Pfizer and BioNTech have also said that deliveries of their vaccine would be cut due to supply chain problems.

"I'm really disappointed about the announcement and I don't think the last word has yet been spoken. We are not treated fair here," Liese, a member of the Christian Democratic Union, said.

The EU lawmaker also referred to a report published by the German newspaper Handelsblatt on Tuesday morning which claimed that AstraZeneca's vaccine against COVID-19 had shown to be only eight percent effective among elderly residents.

"There's a lot of fake news around, in German news it has been said that the efficacy with the elderly is only eight percent. I think it is blunt nonsense," Liese said.

The European Union has threatened to ban the export of vaccines produced within the bloc in response to the planned delivery cuts. Leading EU officials, including European Council President Charles Michel, have urged suppliers to ensure the on-time delivery of all ordered vaccine doses.