When will the European Union obtain collective immunity?

The European Union has fallen behind in the vaccination race. Denmark has become the leader of the bloc, vaccinating 13.11 out of 100 inhabitants until March 8, but it only appears in eighth place in the global ranking of Our World in Data, and is the only EU country to feature in the top 10.

Despite criticism for the slow start of vaccination, the European Commission believes that its joint purchasing and negotiation strategy avoids conflicts between member countries and guarantees equal access to doses and has decided to maintain its goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population (just over 250 million people) by the end of the boreal summer, more specifically by September 21, 2021.

However, The World Order’s analysis of immunization rate data compiled by Our World in Data raises the question of whether this goal is already becoming a utopia. If the vaccination rate that the 27 followed during the month of February continued (288,486 vaccinated or vaccinated with two doses per day), the EU as a whole will not have vaccinated 70% of its adult population before June 29, 2023. In fact, to achieve the intended objective, the block would have to quadruple its current vaccination rate, a gap that is increasing daily so that vaccinations do not increase exponentially.

When the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine in the EU began at the end of 2020, many described the moment as a ‘Christmas present’ for the population. However, the joy of the first moment has given way to skepticism, disbelief and even anger in many capitals. When doses stopped reaching vaccination points, Brussels became the target of all criticism in just a few days.

In Germany, for example, the chairman of the Association of German Public Health Doctors (KBV) Andreas Gassen today criticized the government and blamed the slow vaccination campaign “The German tendency to want to win the Oscar for bureaucracy (…) We must not want to regulate everything down to the smallest details”, he said.

Although the scope of action currently available to Member States is very limited, there are significant differences in the vaccination rate of each. France, for example, would reach 70% of adults vaccinated on November 18, 2022 at the current rate, while Italy would do so on December 6, 2024, two years later. Spain, Portugal and Germany would do so throughout 2023.

Despite the setbacks, the vaccination rate is expected to increase after the Single-dose vaccine approval imminent from Janssen, the community affiliate of Johnson & Johnson “The European Medicines Agency should issue the marketing authorization tomorrow”, with the advent of Novavax and CureVac solutions in the second quarter of 2021, which fosters hope in Brussels. Between the three, the EU will receive a delivery of 525 million doses in the coming months, with the possibility of adding another 480 million.

In addition, Russia says it is ready to deliver 100 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine to EU against the coronavirus in the second quarter of the year, if he approves the drug. Separately, Italy announced yesterday that it would house the first Sputnik V production plant following an agreement between the Russian state fund RDIF, which markets the vaccine, and the Swiss pharmaceutical company Adienne.

In addition, the European Commission announced on Wednesday that has reached agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech for four million additional doses of its vaccine against Covid-19 with which its 27 countries will fight against the increase in infections in various homes. This will help member states in their efforts to keep the spread of new variants under control. By using them where they are most needed, in particular in border regions, these doses will also make it possible to guarantee or restore the free movement of people and goods ”, explained the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Looking at the world vaccination ranking, a country on the continent has reached the podium: Great Britain. This has raised suspicion among EU member countries in a post-Brexit context.

In a further escalation of tensions between London and Brussels over the distribution of the Oxford drug developed by the AstraZeneca laboratory, The British government today came to the crossroads of accusations by the European Union (EU) of a blockade on exports of vaccines against the coronavirus and its components.

Yesterday, European Council President Charles Michel accused Britain and the United States of imposing export restrictions on vaccines and their components produced on their territory, in a newsletter sent to citizens.

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, defended himself today: “Let us be clear: we have not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine or its components.” “This pandemic has put us all on the same side in the global fight for health. We oppose vaccine nationalism in all its forms, ”he added in a speech to Parliament.

On a related note, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in a letter to the EU chief expressed concern over his statements and accused him of making statements “ completely false ”. “I wanted things to be clear. The UK government has not blocked the export of a single coronavirus vaccine or its components. Any reference to a UK export ban or any restriction on vaccines is totally wrong, ”he said.

In protest, Britain summoned EU diplomatic representatives to London.

The fight to acquire coronavirus vaccines has exposed their unequal access globally and sparked a controversy between the EU and Britain over delays in delivering doses last January. The European bloc has accused AstraZeneca of violating a pre-purchase contract signed in August for the delivery of up to 400 million doses of its vaccine, causing delivery delays..

Britain was the first Western country to approve a vaccine against the coronavirus and has already given a first dose to nearly 23 million people.

AFP, ANSA and AP agencies

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