EU vaccine row 'could impact a third covid wave' says expert
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has threatened to halt exports of the coronavirus vaccine if there are no guarantees that shipments will cross the Channel the other way. The heated diplomatic row between London and Brussels comes as the bloc’s own vaccine programme falters and Europe faces being engulfed by a third wave of the virus. Vaccine expert Richard Wilding has taken to Sky News to spell out what consequences the blockade threats could have on global vaccination efforts.
Mr Wilding told Sky News: “What will be happening at the moment is that the Prime Minister going to be very much looking at the supply chain.
“We are going to find that the vaccine task force, all the people involved in that and the logistics and supply chain professionals involved are continuously monitoring this global supply chain.
“As I have been saying this is not just something in one nation or another, it is a global supply chain.
“All sorts of disruptions can actually impact us.”
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Mr Wilding also warned that another wave could see supply chains severed as countries renewed lockdowns.
He said “Including of course if there are third waves taking place in certain parts of the world.
“That will of course have an impact on ultimately on even the movement of vaccines around the world.
“You know if everybody is in lockdown, it gets harder for supply chains to actually operate.”
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President Von der Leyen has threatened to halt exports of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine if the bloc did not receive its deliveries first.
She has told Germany’s Funke newspaper group: “We have the option of banning a planned export.
“That’s the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start supplying to other countries.”
The threat from the Commission President was the latest move in a standoff between the EU and the pharmaceutical giant over delayed shipments.
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The ongoing controversy is happening as a third wave is striking several parts of Europe.
Germany is among several European countries which have warned of an “exponential growth” in infections.
In total, 20 EU countries have now reported an increase in positive coronavirus tests.
Out of these 15 countries have said hospital and intensive care admissions have increased
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