[ad_1]
The vaccine supply chain appears to have run into trouble just a day after Europe launched its mass immunization program.
BioNTech-Pfizer has postponed the delivery of new batches of its coronavirus vaccine to eight European countries, including Spain, Spain’s health ministry said on Monday.
The hold-up is due to a “problem in the loading and shipping process” at its factory in Belgium, the health ministry said in a statement, citing Pfizer’s Spanish subsidiary.
Spain’s health ministry did not specify which European countries outside of Spain were affected.
The delay comes a day after Europe began its COVID-19 vaccination program.
Health Minister Salvador Illa told Spanish radio SER that the delay was due to a problem “with the temperature control” of the shipments which was “apparently fixed”.
The vaccine, which uses mRNA technology, is extremely sensitive to heat. It is stored at nearly -70 degrees Celsius (-112 ° F) prior to shipment, before being sent to distribution centers in specially designed coolers filled with dry ice.
On arrival, it should be stored at 2 ° C to 8 ° C to keep it effective for up to five days.
Germany reports similar problem
Several German cities reported similar delays in receiving and administering the BioNTech-Pfizer coronavirus on Monday after temperature trackers showed they may not have been cold enough due to chain inconsistencies cold.
Tobias Kurth, epidemiologist and director of the Institute of Public Health at Berlin Charite Hospital in Berlin, told DW that Germany was already grappling with the low number of available vaccines.
“The problem is that we don’t have enough vaccines available in the first few weeks or months. So the mass vaccination will probably start in March or even April, ”he said.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn told public broadcaster ZDF on Monday that the country was “doing everything with BioNTech-Pfizer” to speed up domestic production of the coronavirus vaccine in the country.
He said he hoped to commission a production facility in Marburg, Hesse state, central Germany by February or March.
When will EU vaccines arrive?
The distribution of 200 million initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech-Pfizer is expected to be completed for the EU by September, a spokesperson for the European Commission told Reuters news agency on Monday.
He added that discussions are underway to agree to the delivery of an additional 100 million additional doses which are optional under the sealed contract with the two companies.
Source link
