Ugur Sahin, head of the German vaccineproducent BioNTech, now come with a crass criticism of the european UNION in vaccinespørgsmålet.
He believes, quite simply, not that the Union have done enough to ensure a sufficient number of vaccines for its citizens.
It writes the German news magazine Der Spiegel.
“The process in the EU has not been so quick and straightforward, as it has been in other countries,” says the managing director.
The criticism from the BioNTechs boss comes, after that it is clear that EU countries are lagging behind in the roll-out of the covid-19-the vaccine compared with the UNITED states and the united kingdom.
This is because the EU has spread vaccinebestillingen out to more manufacturers. However, it is only Pfizer/BioNTechs vaccine that has been approved by the EU, while Modernas vaccine is expected to be approved today, Monday.
“The perception has clearly been that “we will get enough. It’s gonna go, and we have it under control”,” sounds from Ugur Sahin.
The question is topical, because several EU countries these days are fighting a fierce battle to contain the covid-19 – especially after the more infectious version of the covid-19 from the Uk is starting to spread.
The containment can the vaccine remedy, since it has a certain effect already after the first connector.
The issue of the lack of approved vaccines has also aroused debate in the Danish parliament, where several sundhedsordførere has directed sharp criticism of the european UNION:
“It means that we will come later with the restrictions. It is hugely expensive to have them, and furthermore, there is the danger that we place burdens on our health care system, because we do not get vaccinated enough,” said The Conservative sundhedsordfører, Per Larsen, in december.
Not straightforward
Previously one of the leading persons in the BioNTech Özlem Türeci, who is Ugur Sahins wife, however, stated that the Eu’s strategy to buy the vaccines from several manufacturers was appropriate. When the EU ordered the vaccines, did the Union, namely, when the individual vaccines would be approved.
This meant that the EU thanked no to an offer from Pfizer/BioNTech to buy more doses of the vaccine.
“At one time, however, it turned out that many of the producers can’t deliver on time. Then it was too late to book extensive other places,” says Özlem Türeci.
Germany pushed to buy more doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech, but other EU-countries fought against – among others, France, according to Der Spiegel did not want, that the EU should deliver a major order from German BioNTech than in French Sanofi.
The EU Commission has, however, denied that France would have slowed down the booking of a major order.
Now try and BioNTech to incorporate a larger capacity, so you can produce more vaccines and thus compensate for the lack of approved vaccines.
“At the moment it doesn’t look rosy out. There is a hole, because there is no other approved vaccines, and we need to fill this gap with our vaccine,” says Biontech-chief Ugur Sahin to Spiegel.
According to the BioNTech however, it is not easy to upscale production.
“It is not the case that the specialized factories around the world, is inactive and can produce vaccines of the required quality in a short time,” says Ugur Sahin, however, awaits urgent clarification:
“By the end of January we will know how many vaccines we can produce and whether we can produce.”
