European Union says it “does not need” Sputnik V vaccine to gain immunity against COVID-19 in July

The European Union does not need Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 and can achieve immunity on the continent by July 14 using available doses produced in the EU, the EU commissioner said on Sunday. internal markets of the bloc, Thierry Breton, the person in charge of collective purchases for the 27 countries of the bloc.

The European Commission has been criticized for the slowness of its vaccination campaign as it faces a rise in infections and the vaccination program of the UK, a former EU member, accelerates.

“We absolutely don’t need Sputnik VThierry Breton said on TF1 television. “Today, we clearly have the capacity to deliver 300 to 350 million doses by the end of June and, therefore, by July 14 (…) we have the possibility of obtaining immunity on the continentHe said, referring to the date on which July 14 is commemorated in France.

He noted that this horizon is similar to that presented by US President Joe Biden, who also promised a certain return to normality thanks to the vaccines for the national day in the United States, on July 4, and with that of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking on June 21, early summer.

“The doses are there, now people have to accept the vaccination and the fact that we have the logistics“, Tenu. The European commissioner insisted on the fact that in the EU” we do not depend on anybody to have these vaccines “because they are all produced in factories which are on its territory.

Breton recalled that the EU could help Russia with vaccine production if needed, although Europeans should be a priority.

Before the statements, the creators of the Russian coronavirus vaccine accused Breton of having a biased view. “Bias lead to failure. And Breton’s failures are clear to many in the EU, ”Russia’s official vaccination account said on Twitter, alluding to delays in the vaccination campaign in Europe.

For the moment, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given its authorization for four vaccines, that of Pfizer-BioNtech, that of Moderna, that of AstraZeneca and that of Johnson & Johnson.

Europe’s battle to prevent a deadly third wave of infections has been complicated by an uneven vaccination campaign that has included several countries temporarily halting AstraZeneca injections in response to isolated cases of blood clots.

Since then, most have resumed use of the vaccine after the European Medicines Agency deemed it “safe and effective”.

But AstraZeneca delivered only 30% of the 90 million doses promised to the EU for the first quarter.

(With information from Reuters, AFP and EFE)

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