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The EU campaign to vaccinate Europeans against COVID-19 has started unevenly in what will be a marathon effort to deliver vaccines to enough 450 million people in the bloc to beat the viral pandemic.
In an accident, eight workers at a care home in Stralsund, on the north coast of Germany, were injected five times the recommended dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Four were hospitalized.
“I deeply regret the incident. This individual case is due to individual errors. I hope that everyone affected will not experience any serious side effects, ”District Chief Stefan Kerth said on Monday December 28th.
In southern Germany, authorities had to return around 1,000 doses after finding they had been transported in coolers typically used for picnics or camping trips that did not keep the vaccine cold enough.
The EU vaccination campaign kicked off this weekend, with health workers and residents of nursing homes across the block among the first to receive Pfizer’s vaccines, which must be kept at extremely cold temperatures .
In Italy, meanwhile, some politicians have complained that Germany – the EU’s largest member state and the home of BioNTech – could get more than its fair share of hits.
The EU is expected to receive its 12.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by New Year’s Day, with distribution of 200 million doses in its 27 member countries to be completed by next September. The course of vaccination requires two doses.
A Pfizer spokesperson declined to comment on specific timelines or whether the timeline given by the Commission represented a delay. “Our lead times are ambitious and may change depending on capacity and manufacturing times,” he said.
Discussions are underway to agree to the delivery of an additional 100 million optional doses under the sealed contract with the two companies, the EU said.
Stay cool
Early issues highlight the challenge of vaccine deployment as regulators consider approving other vaccines, including those from Moderna and AstraZeneca, which are easier to transport and store.
The deployment of Pfizer’s fire in the United States has been slow, casting doubt on the government’s target of 20 million vaccines this month, as hospitals navigate preparing previously frozen injections for use, finding staff to manage clinics and ensuring good social distance.
In addition to being the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in the EU, the Pfizer vaccine is particularly delicate to handle. For long term storage, it should be frozen at about minus 70 Celsius.
It can be thawed for a few days before use, but even then it should be kept cool at 2 ° C to 8 ° C.
In southern Germany, officials said they would not use some injections after temperature trackers in coolers showed they may not have been cold enough.
“There were doubts whether the cold chain was maintained at all times,” said Christian Meissner, district administrator for the Bavarian town of Lichtenfels.
“BioNTech said the vaccine was probably correct, but ‘probably correct’ was not enough,” he told Reuters TV.
The abandonment occurred after the doses were handed over to local authorities. BioNTech declined to comment.
In Spain, the delivery of a new batch of Pfizer was delayed by one day until Tuesday due to a temperature issue that has now been resolved, Health Minister Salvador Illa said.
Maria Asuncion Ojeda, resident of Ballesol Parque Almansa nursing home in Madrid, was always delighted to have been one of the first beneficiaries of the Pfizer vaccine.
“I wanted to do it because it’s the only way to solve this problem,” the 87-year-old said on Monday, a day after Spain started vaccinating residents of health centers and their staff.
Fair shares
The EU distributes jointly purchased vaccines on a pro rata basis to the 27 member states according to their population, while some European countries have also made their own agreements to purchase additional doses separately.
In Italy, some politicians have said Germany appeared to be getting more than its fair share, at least in the highly symbolic initial deployment.
“The counts don’t add up,” Italian virologist Roberto Burioni said on Twitter, pointing to reports in Germany that day one deliveries totaled more than 150,000 doses while other EU countries did not ‘received only 10,000.
An official familiar with vaccine distribution in Germany said each of Germany’s 16 federal states received 10,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine before the start of the vaccination campaign weekend.
An Italian journalist asked about the supplies at a German government press conference. A German health ministry official responded that Berlin had signed a separate agreement for 30 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
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