European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said AstraZeneca could face a ban on exports for the EU of doses if it did not meet its delivery obligations to the bloc. But Jane Halton, who is working to help poorer countries get vaccines as co-chair of the COVAX initiative, compared it to countries that prevented the export of PPE which meant people died as a consequence. Ms Halton told Times Radio: “I think if we use diplomatic powers that would be extremely regrettable.
“The fact that you have vaccine production inside your borders and you choose to hold hostage doses of vaccine that have been otherwise committed elsewhere is not a situation any of us want to see.
“Early in the pandemic, we saw people preventing the export of PPE, preventing the export of ventilators and respirators.
“We know that people died as a consequence of this.
“What we want to make sure is that the vulnerable everywhere in the world are vaccinated.
READ MORE: PM urges Brussels to end threats to block export of jabs
“I do think it’s important to get in perspective the needs of different populations.
“None of us want to see artificial barriers put up to the free flow of vaccines to those people who need it.
“I think a ban on export is not desirable.”
French Europe Minister Clement Beaune said on Tuesday that the European Union wanted reciprocity with Britain over the supply of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
French Junior Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told BFM television on Tuesday that it was up to AstraZeneca to act.
“We must find a solution so that AstraZeneca progressively returns to supply levels initially specified in their contracts.
“One can understand they face industrial hurdles but one cannot understand differences in treatment between various areas,” she said.
“AstraZeneca has two large plants in Europe from which it can supply us and it has plants in other zones. It is up to them to propose an action plan,” she added.
