Reaching Agreement With Pfizer, European Union Receives 1.8 Billion Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine

PfizerBioNTech Vaccine. (Wikimedia Commons/Arne Müseler)

JAKARTA - The European Union through the European Commission announced an agreement with the COVID-19 vaccine producer Pfizer/BioNTech, regarding the addition of 1.8 billion doses of vaccine.

This figure does not include the 600 million doses of Pfizer vaccine previously secured by the European Commission. This additional dose of vaccine will be used as a booster dose.

European Commission Chairman Ursula von der Leyen said that in addition to the two vaccine procurement agreements, his party promised to produce more procurement contracts.

"It is with great pleasure to announce that the @EU Commission has just agreed on a contract for the guarantee of 900 million doses (+900 million options) with BioNTech/Pfizer for 2021-2023," wrote von der Leyen via his official Twitter account from the EU Summit in Portugal, as reported by The National News, Sunday, May 9.

"Other contracts and other vaccine technologies will follow," continued von der Leyen

In the next upload, von der Leyen wrote, with this additional dose of vaccine, the European Union is ready to expand the COVID-19 vaccination program for underage children. As well as the export of vaccines to low-income countries outside Europe.

PfizerBioNTech Vaccine. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Secretary of Defense)

For information, Germany's BioNTech and Pfizer from the United States have increased supply to Europe with co-produced doses. Their vaccine is currently primarily used in the European Union.

After a slow start, the EU's vaccination efforts have accelerated, with more than a quarter of its population has received at least one injection. The European Union is on track to have 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated by the end of July and is already cautiously reopening ahead of a vital summer holiday period.

Von der Leyen is known to support the strategy of the European Union commission responsible for negotiating vaccine contracts for all member states, despite initial criticism that the process was too slow.

Meanwhile, Europe is now arguing with the United States over the revocation of patents on the COVID-19 vaccine, raising questions about whether withdrawing the patent will support the accelerating supply of vaccines to poor countries.

PfizerBioNTech Vaccine (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Secretary of Defense)

EU chief Charles Michel said he was ready to discuss the United States' proposal to withdraw the patent rights on the COVID-19 vaccine, although they are waiting for more details from the US side.

"We are ready to discuss this topic as soon as a concrete proposal is submitted," said Michel, Saturday, May 8.

The European Union has so far delivered more than 200 million doses to non-EU countries, while the US has sent only 2.7 million to Mexico in what it calls loans.

Separately, the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Europe's current role is very much needed in the fight against COVID-19.

"Europe's role in the world today is more critical than ever when we are fighting COVID-19. It shows when we collaborate on common goals, we become stronger together," he wrote on Twitter.

To note, the European Union is a major contributor to COVAX, a WHO-supported scheme designed to deliver doses primarily to low-income countries.