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Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement today. Xinhua News Agency/PA Images

EU strikes deal to double supply of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to 600 million jabs

The Taoiseach said earlier this week that up to 135,000 people will have received two vaccine doses by the end of February.

LAST UPDATE | 8 Jan 2021

THE EU HAS struck a deal to double its supply of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 to a total of 600 million doses, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said this morning.

“We have right now, access to 300 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine… With the new agreement we could purchase a total of up to an additional 300 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine,” she told a press conference.

Such a move would help boost Ireland’s supply of the approved jab, with chair of High-Level Task Force on Covid-19 Vaccination Professor Brian MacCraith said that Ireland would benefit from an additional 3 million doses as a result of the deal

Von der Leyen said that, along with the Moderna vaccine also authorised for use in the EU, “we have already secured an amount of doses that we need to vaccinate 380 million Europeans, and this is more than 80% of the European population”.

She said that other vaccine authorisations were expected “in the coming weeks and months” so “Europe will have more than enough vaccine within a reliable timeframe”.

The European Commission has been hit with rising criticism that the vaccine roll-out that started December 27 has been too slow compared to countries such as the United States or former EU member Britain.

But von der Leyen insisted the Commission had taken the “right course of action”. She said global competition for promising vaccines was fierce when it started negotiations early last year on behalf of the EU’s 27 member states.

The EU had to sift through 160 vaccine candidates to arrive at the six it retained as the most likely to work and feasible to distribute on a massive scale, she said.

She admitted, though, that “difficult months” lay ahead in the short-term in ramping up inoculations because of the scale of the task and the worryingly high number of infections Europe is recording.

“I’m convinced that when we look back at this one day we’ll see, well yes, at the beginning, there was a bumpy road (but) well, that’s always the case.”

2.3 billion doses

The European Commission now has contracts for a 2.3 billion doses of various vaccines — enough for the entire 450-million EU population on the basis of a two-dose regimen per person, plus extra for poorer neighbouring countries.

The announced extension of the BioNTech/Pfizer contract is for a firm purchase of 200 million doses plus an option for 100 million more, with the additional doses starting to be delivered in the second quarter of this year.

Responding to reports that Germany had sought its own vaccine supply outside of the Commission channel, von der Leyen noted that the collective ordering scheme was “legally binding”.

EU capitals agreed “there will be no parallel negotiations, no parallel contracts.”

Asked about Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was open to producing it in the EU, von der Leyen emphasised the strict vetting procedures of the European Medicines Agency.

“Whatever vaccine is coming to the European market… has to go through an authorisation process with the EMA, so full transparency: all data have to be submitted for the whole scrutiny,” she said.

© – AFP 2021

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    Mute Aine O Connor
    Favourite Aine O Connor
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:10 PM

    Everyone was falling over themselves praising David Beckham when he joined the queue for the Queens wake. Not so impressed now that he would take 10 million and be involved in any way with this fiasco of a World Cup. Money is the root of all evil.

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    Mute Maurice Bourke
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:25 PM

    @Aine O Connor: you quote is in complete. Money is not the root of all evil. The quote is “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Meaning that insatiable greed that causes evil and not the money itself.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:36 PM

    @Maurice Bourke: think u missed the point there

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Nov 21st 2022, 4:07 PM

    @Maurice Bourke: yea, i think we get what she meant, Mr Pedantic.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:38 PM

    Fair play to him 6500 workers died in the making of this so called entertainment….you’d think Beckham has enough money at this stage of his life

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    Mute Dave Ryan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 5:07 PM

    @Michael Nolan: Beckham would endorse ISIS if they offered him enough money.

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    Mute Alan Byrne
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:14 AM

    @Michael Nolan: that’s not really true though….

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    Mute Mick Hyland
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    Nov 21st 2022, 2:59 PM

    I’m getting tired of this guy

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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:44 PM

    @Mick Hyland: Beckham? Yeah me too. Overrated as a footballer and worse as a human it turns out.

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Nov 21st 2022, 7:38 PM

    @Gearóid MacEachaidh: Joe is self serving here. A poor stunt, in poor taste. DB along with many many others will profit from from this WC. Where was Joe and his ilk for the last 12 years since Quater were awarded the WC? Silent.

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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Nov 21st 2022, 9:22 PM

    @2thFairy: how exactly is he self serving? And Beckham didn’t agree his deal with Qatar 12 years ago, how could he complain about Beecham taking blood money before he knew he was going to? Not to mention Lycett was still at college then. He and others have spoken out against Qatar being awarded multiple times in the last number of years. Not sure what you’re on about here to be honest.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:36 PM

    Fair play to him highlighting the terrible conditions for workers over there and the gay community’s plight … you’d think that guy Beckham would have enough money at this stage of his life ..dragged into the sunshine now…

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    Mute Martin O Connell
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    Nov 21st 2022, 4:02 PM

    The money was about as real as the moral high ground that Lynette is standing on.

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    Mute Cullen Cullen
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    Nov 21st 2022, 9:46 PM

    @Martin O Connell: good call

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    Mute Geoff Bateman
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:28 PM

    Cheapest publicity stunt ever

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    Mute SquintEastwood
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    Nov 21st 2022, 2:52 PM

    A fake faker…was it fake or is his publicity costing him another 10k

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    Mute Niall Sheridan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:37 PM

    Fun he is – fool he isn’t!

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    Mute Nirvana Barbarossa
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    Nov 21st 2022, 10:53 PM

    Gay issues should not take over the world cup, especially as they dont watch it.

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:48 AM

    What if Beckham was to donate the 10 million he is earning from his appearance in Qatar to a gay charity. Would all be forgiven then I wonder?

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