Postponed Supply Of COVID-19 Vaccine, Italy Takes Legal Action Against Pfizer And AstraZeneca

JAKARTA - Italy will take legal action against Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca regarding postponing the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine, in an effort to secure the agreed supply amount instead of seeking compensation, said Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Sunday, January 24.

"We are trying to keep our vaccine program plan unchanged," said Di Maio in the state television broadcast of RAI, quoted from Antara, Sunday, January 25.

On Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that delays in vaccine supplies were unacceptable and a serious violation of the obligations stated in the contract, adding that Italy would use all available legal tools.

Italy should rethink its entire vaccination program if supply problems persist, said a senior health official.

When asked if he thought the pharmaceutical company had been forced to announce reductions, Di Maio believed they had agreed to an amount that was beyond their means.

"We are activating all channels so that the EU Commission does all it can to encourage them to honor contracts," he said.

Last week Pfizer said it would temporarily slow supply for Europe to make changes to its manufacturing processes that would boost production.

On Friday, a top official told Reuters that AstraZeneca had informed the European Union of cutting the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine by up to 60 percent to the block due to production problems.

The supply cuts announced by the two companies would result in a setback of about four weeks for residents aged 80 and over, and six to eight weeks for the entire population, Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri said on Sunday.

"This delay has an impact on the whole of Europe and parts of the world but I believe the setback can be corrected further," he said on an Italian television channel.