APTOPIX Virus Outbreak Britain
People recieve their Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination inside Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Salisbury Cathedral opened its doors for the second time as a venue for the Sarum South Primary Care Network COVID-19 Local Vaccination Service. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
RAF CASERT
Wed, January 20, 2021
BRUSSELS (AP) — Frustration is mounting from Europe to North America over reduced shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine while the U.S. pharmaceutical company increases production capacity at its Belgian plant. Governments say it is costing critical time during the early stages of the rollout to care homes and hospital personnel.
Italy has threatened legal action. The leader of Canada's most populous province said Pfizer's chief executive should be chased “with a firecracker." A top European Union official icily invoked the principle of “pacta sunt servanda," a Latin phrase meaning "agreements must be kept."
The EU and many nations are under pressure for what is seen as the slow start to their vaccination campaigns compared to countries like Israel and the United Kingdom. Pfizer compounded the problem last Friday when it announced a temporary reduction in deliveries so it could upscale its Puurs, Belgium plant, which supplies all shots delivered outside the United States.
The delay, which the pharma giant said would last for a few weeks, affects not only the number of people who can get inoculated during that period but also throws off the careful choreography that governments mapped out to get elderly residents and caregivers the required two doses within a strict timetable of several weeks.
“It means huge complications for us,” Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said. Similar complaints could be heard in several other EU nations, from Denmark to Belgium.
“Indeed," added European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, “we were all surprised by the announcement of Pfizer-BioNTech to have a delay.”
The EU now expects Pfizer to deliver across the 27-nation bloc 92% of what was expected over this week and the next one. The missing 8% is expected to be recovered during the week of Feb. 15
Von der Leyen said the immediate challenge would be securing enough doses to make sure people who already had their first shot of Pfizer vaccine received their second jab within the recommended interval.
“It is of utmost importance that we get the doses that are fixed in the contract” the EU's executive commission negotiated on behalf of member nations, she said. Overall, the EU is slated to get up to 600 million doses from Pfizer.
A number of U.S. states also are reporting difficulty getting their hands on enough vaccines. The full explanation for the apparent mismatch between supply and demand was unclear, but last week the U.S. Health and Human Services Department suggested that states had unrealistic expectations for how much vaccine was on the way.
In Europe, the harsh criticism of Pfizer stands in sharp contrast to the accolades the company received last month for being exceptionally fast in producing a COVID-19 vaccine considered safe and effective. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine authorized for use in the U.K. the EU and the United States.
Pfizer told The Associated Press late Wednesday that any small step backwards taken now would result in a huge jump ahead later in the year. The company originally expected to produce 1.3 billion doses this year.
“We’ve explored innovative ways to increase the number of doses we’re able to supply this year, and we now believe that we can potentially deliver approximately 2 billion doses by the end of 2021," the company said in a statement.
But even if that point is understood, many officials in Europe said they were disappointed by what they saw as a lack of smooth communication.
“The problem lies mainly with Pfizer’s short notice announcement,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said. “That’s an upsetting issue.”
“I understand the reason that (plants) have to be converted in the short term to increase capacity in the medium and long term,” he said. “But it’s very unsatisfying that this was...communicated to us basically overnight.”
The urgency and anticipation to get the vaccines rolling in the 27-nation EU, where 400,000 people with the virus have died, is also matched in Canada, a nation of 37 million which has a pandemic death toll of over 18,000.
OTTAWA — Only half of Canada's promised COVID-19 vaccine doses by Pfizer-BioNTech will arrive in the next month, federal officials revealed, blaming production issues in Belgium that will affect immediate vaccination plans.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province was evaluating the impact of the delay and "will adjust as necessary."
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, who is leading the national vaccine distribution, said Pfizer's production delays would reduce deliveries by an average of 50 per cent over the coming weeks.
He said that won't be felt until after next week because Canada's upcoming shipment has already been prepared. But the final week of January will bring "about a quarter of what we expected."
"The numbers will pick right back up after that to about half of what we had expected (and) progressively grow into the rest of February," said Fortin.
"Pfizer is telling us it will impact us for four weeks."
According to the government's website, more than 200,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were expected in each of the next two weeks and 1.4 million doses were expected in February.
Trudeau said Ottawa was "working day in and day out to get vaccines delivered as quickly as possible" but acknowledged that Pfizer-BioNTech doses have been derailed in the short-term.
Trudeau said this is why Canada has one of the most diverse vaccine portfolios in the world, pointing to seven bilateral agreements he says ensure "flexibility when it comes to supply chains."
"I want to be very clear: this does not impact our goal to have enough vaccines available by September for every Canadian who wants one," Trudeau said from outside Rideau Cottage.
Anand said all countries that receive vaccines from Pfizer's European facility have been affected but that Canada has been assured it will receive four million doses by the end of March.
RAF CASERT
Wed, January 20, 2021
BRUSSELS (AP) — Frustration is mounting from Europe to North America over reduced shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine while the U.S. pharmaceutical company increases production capacity at its Belgian plant. Governments say it is costing critical time during the early stages of the rollout to care homes and hospital personnel.
Italy has threatened legal action. The leader of Canada's most populous province said Pfizer's chief executive should be chased “with a firecracker." A top European Union official icily invoked the principle of “pacta sunt servanda," a Latin phrase meaning "agreements must be kept."
The EU and many nations are under pressure for what is seen as the slow start to their vaccination campaigns compared to countries like Israel and the United Kingdom. Pfizer compounded the problem last Friday when it announced a temporary reduction in deliveries so it could upscale its Puurs, Belgium plant, which supplies all shots delivered outside the United States.
The delay, which the pharma giant said would last for a few weeks, affects not only the number of people who can get inoculated during that period but also throws off the careful choreography that governments mapped out to get elderly residents and caregivers the required two doses within a strict timetable of several weeks.
“It means huge complications for us,” Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said. Similar complaints could be heard in several other EU nations, from Denmark to Belgium.
“Indeed," added European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, “we were all surprised by the announcement of Pfizer-BioNTech to have a delay.”
The EU now expects Pfizer to deliver across the 27-nation bloc 92% of what was expected over this week and the next one. The missing 8% is expected to be recovered during the week of Feb. 15
Von der Leyen said the immediate challenge would be securing enough doses to make sure people who already had their first shot of Pfizer vaccine received their second jab within the recommended interval.
“It is of utmost importance that we get the doses that are fixed in the contract” the EU's executive commission negotiated on behalf of member nations, she said. Overall, the EU is slated to get up to 600 million doses from Pfizer.
A number of U.S. states also are reporting difficulty getting their hands on enough vaccines. The full explanation for the apparent mismatch between supply and demand was unclear, but last week the U.S. Health and Human Services Department suggested that states had unrealistic expectations for how much vaccine was on the way.
In Europe, the harsh criticism of Pfizer stands in sharp contrast to the accolades the company received last month for being exceptionally fast in producing a COVID-19 vaccine considered safe and effective. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine authorized for use in the U.K. the EU and the United States.
Pfizer told The Associated Press late Wednesday that any small step backwards taken now would result in a huge jump ahead later in the year. The company originally expected to produce 1.3 billion doses this year.
“We’ve explored innovative ways to increase the number of doses we’re able to supply this year, and we now believe that we can potentially deliver approximately 2 billion doses by the end of 2021," the company said in a statement.
But even if that point is understood, many officials in Europe said they were disappointed by what they saw as a lack of smooth communication.
“The problem lies mainly with Pfizer’s short notice announcement,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said. “That’s an upsetting issue.”
“I understand the reason that (plants) have to be converted in the short term to increase capacity in the medium and long term,” he said. “But it’s very unsatisfying that this was...communicated to us basically overnight.”
The urgency and anticipation to get the vaccines rolling in the 27-nation EU, where 400,000 people with the virus have died, is also matched in Canada, a nation of 37 million which has a pandemic death toll of over 18,000.
Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, who is leading Canada’s logistical rollout and distribution of vaccines, said Pfizer deferred next week’s deliveries entirely and that there will be a significant decline in vaccine supplies over the next three weeks.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the shortfall is more than an annoying logistical inconvenience.
“I’m just angry at the situation, that other countries are getting it,” Ford said. He said if he were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he’d be calling Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla every day and going at him “with a firecracker.”
"He wouldn’t know what hit him." Ford added. “I would not stop until we get these vaccines.”
The European Union is likely to pursue Pfizer with a different weapon but equal fervor. The 27 leaders have a video summit scheduled Thursday where the rollout of vaccines will be a key issue.
____
Rob Gillies in Toronto, Nicole Winfield in Rome, Sam Petrequin in Brussels, Karel Janicek in Prague and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed.
___
Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Italy considers legal action over Pfizer vaccine delivery delays
A spokeswoman for Pfizer declined to comment on Wednesday about Italy's legal threat and criticism about delivery delays beyond its statement on Friday about supply cuts.
The drugmaker said last week it was temporarily slowing supplies of its coronavirus vaccine to Europe to make manufacturing changes that would boost output.
Pfizer, which is trying to deliver millions of doses at a breakneck pace to curb a pandemic that has already killed more than 2 million people worldwide, said the changes would "provide a significant increase in doses in late February and March".
According to an Italian source, Rome is now trying to assess whether Pfizer is acting under force majeure, or circumstances beyond its control.
If not, the drug group could be accused of breaching the contract it has signed with the European Union on state members' behalf, the source said.
One possibility could be for Rome to call on the European Union to present a lawsuit to a court in Belgium's capital, Brussels, the source said.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi in Milan and Domenico Lusi in Rome; additional reporting by Josephine Mason in London; Writing by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the shortfall is more than an annoying logistical inconvenience.
“I’m just angry at the situation, that other countries are getting it,” Ford said. He said if he were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he’d be calling Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla every day and going at him “with a firecracker.”
"He wouldn’t know what hit him." Ford added. “I would not stop until we get these vaccines.”
The European Union is likely to pursue Pfizer with a different weapon but equal fervor. The 27 leaders have a video summit scheduled Thursday where the rollout of vaccines will be a key issue.
____
Rob Gillies in Toronto, Nicole Winfield in Rome, Sam Petrequin in Brussels, Karel Janicek in Prague and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed.
___
Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Italy considers legal action over Pfizer vaccine delivery delays
The Pfizer logo is seen at their UK commercial headquarters in Walton Oaks
Wed, January 20, 2021
ROME (Reuters) - Italy is considering legal action against Pfizer Inc after the U.S. drugmaker announced a further cut in coronavirus vaccine deliveries, the country's COVID-19 special commissioner Domenico Arcuri said.
Pfizer told Italy last week that it was cutting its deliveries by 29%. On Tuesday, Pfizer said it was not in the position to make up the 29% shortfall next week and that it was planning a further "slight reduction" in deliveries, Arcuri said.
"As a result, we discussed what action to take to protect Italian citizens and their health in all civil and criminal venues," Arcuri said in a statement late on Tuesday.
"It was unanimously decided that these actions will be taken starting in the next few days."
He did not elaborate.
Wed, January 20, 2021
ROME (Reuters) - Italy is considering legal action against Pfizer Inc after the U.S. drugmaker announced a further cut in coronavirus vaccine deliveries, the country's COVID-19 special commissioner Domenico Arcuri said.
Pfizer told Italy last week that it was cutting its deliveries by 29%. On Tuesday, Pfizer said it was not in the position to make up the 29% shortfall next week and that it was planning a further "slight reduction" in deliveries, Arcuri said.
"As a result, we discussed what action to take to protect Italian citizens and their health in all civil and criminal venues," Arcuri said in a statement late on Tuesday.
"It was unanimously decided that these actions will be taken starting in the next few days."
He did not elaborate.
A spokeswoman for Pfizer declined to comment on Wednesday about Italy's legal threat and criticism about delivery delays beyond its statement on Friday about supply cuts.
The drugmaker said last week it was temporarily slowing supplies of its coronavirus vaccine to Europe to make manufacturing changes that would boost output.
Pfizer, which is trying to deliver millions of doses at a breakneck pace to curb a pandemic that has already killed more than 2 million people worldwide, said the changes would "provide a significant increase in doses in late February and March".
According to an Italian source, Rome is now trying to assess whether Pfizer is acting under force majeure, or circumstances beyond its control.
If not, the drug group could be accused of breaching the contract it has signed with the European Union on state members' behalf, the source said.
One possibility could be for Rome to call on the European Union to present a lawsuit to a court in Belgium's capital, Brussels, the source said.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi in Milan and Domenico Lusi in Rome; additional reporting by Josephine Mason in London; Writing by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Pfizer-BioNTech delaying vaccine deliveries to Canada due to production issues
OTTAWA — Only half of Canada's promised COVID-19 vaccine doses by Pfizer-BioNTech will arrive in the next month, federal officials revealed, blaming production issues in Belgium that will affect immediate vaccination plans.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
Procurement Minister Anita Anand said Canada faces an "unfortunate" delay that is nonetheless expected to be made up by the end of March, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted most Canadians will still be vaccinated by the fall.
News of the Pfizer delay drew immediate concern from Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who said the province's strategy for the two-dose regime depends on steady shipments.
"We have been planning our vaccine rollout based on this schedule, including second dosages," said Moe, noting he expected 11,700 doses a week in February.
"If this has changed, they need to advise us immediately."
In British Columbia, where all available doses are being deployed as they arrive, Health Minister Adrian Dix said the delay will have "some significant effect" on when priority groups get their shot.
"Obviously, when you receive fewer doses you immunize fewer people," said Dix.
The delay could also affect the wait time between each shot of the two-dose regime, he said.
Although Pfizer-BioNTech suggests a second dose 21 days after the first, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said that could be extended to 35 days.
A spokeswoman for Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said the temporary slowdown reinforced the province's decision to wait up to 90 days to administer the vaccine's second dose.
"The strategy remains the same: we must give a boost now and vaccinate as many vulnerable people and health workers as possible, as quickly as possible," said Marjaurie Cote-Boileau.
Alberta decided earlier this week to push back its second shots to 42 days. The province's health minister, Tyler Shandro, said Friday he had hoped to soon announce all seniors over 75 and Indigenous people over 65 would be eligible for the vaccine, but the delay makes that out of the question.
Procurement Minister Anita Anand said Canada faces an "unfortunate" delay that is nonetheless expected to be made up by the end of March, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted most Canadians will still be vaccinated by the fall.
News of the Pfizer delay drew immediate concern from Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who said the province's strategy for the two-dose regime depends on steady shipments.
"We have been planning our vaccine rollout based on this schedule, including second dosages," said Moe, noting he expected 11,700 doses a week in February.
"If this has changed, they need to advise us immediately."
In British Columbia, where all available doses are being deployed as they arrive, Health Minister Adrian Dix said the delay will have "some significant effect" on when priority groups get their shot.
"Obviously, when you receive fewer doses you immunize fewer people," said Dix.
The delay could also affect the wait time between each shot of the two-dose regime, he said.
Although Pfizer-BioNTech suggests a second dose 21 days after the first, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said that could be extended to 35 days.
A spokeswoman for Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said the temporary slowdown reinforced the province's decision to wait up to 90 days to administer the vaccine's second dose.
"The strategy remains the same: we must give a boost now and vaccinate as many vulnerable people and health workers as possible, as quickly as possible," said Marjaurie Cote-Boileau.
Alberta decided earlier this week to push back its second shots to 42 days. The province's health minister, Tyler Shandro, said Friday he had hoped to soon announce all seniors over 75 and Indigenous people over 65 would be eligible for the vaccine, but the delay makes that out of the question.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province was evaluating the impact of the delay and "will adjust as necessary."
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, who is leading the national vaccine distribution, said Pfizer's production delays would reduce deliveries by an average of 50 per cent over the coming weeks.
He said that won't be felt until after next week because Canada's upcoming shipment has already been prepared. But the final week of January will bring "about a quarter of what we expected."
"The numbers will pick right back up after that to about half of what we had expected (and) progressively grow into the rest of February," said Fortin.
"Pfizer is telling us it will impact us for four weeks."
According to the government's website, more than 200,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were expected in each of the next two weeks and 1.4 million doses were expected in February.
Trudeau said Ottawa was "working day in and day out to get vaccines delivered as quickly as possible" but acknowledged that Pfizer-BioNTech doses have been derailed in the short-term.
Trudeau said this is why Canada has one of the most diverse vaccine portfolios in the world, pointing to seven bilateral agreements he says ensure "flexibility when it comes to supply chains."
"I want to be very clear: this does not impact our goal to have enough vaccines available by September for every Canadian who wants one," Trudeau said from outside Rideau Cottage.
Anand said all countries that receive vaccines from Pfizer's European facility have been affected but that Canada has been assured it will receive four million doses by the end of March.
"This is unfortunate. However such delays and issues are to be expected when global supply chains are stretched well beyond their limits," Anand said at a news conference.
"It's not a stoppage."
Pfizer Canada spokeswoman Christina Antoniou said the production facility in Puurs, Belgium, is undergoing modifications in the coming weeks to increase the number of doses it can pump out.
Pfizer hopes to double its 2021 production to two billion doses.
“Pfizer Canada will continue to pursue its efforts in anticipation that by the end of March, we will be able to catch up to be on track for the total committed doses for Q1,” Antoniou said.
The news came as Ottawa released federal projections that suggested the pandemic may soon exceed levels seen in the first wave, rising to 19,630 cumulative deaths and 10,000 daily infections in a little over a week.
The modelling shows total cases could grow to nearly 796,630 from about 694,000, and that another 2,000 people could die by Jan. 24.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam urged sustained vigilance as a long-range forecast suggested rapid growth would continue without "quick, strong and sustained" measures.
Tam said that's especially so in national hot spots of Quebec and Ontario, where a steady increase in hospitalizations has strained the health system's ability to keep up with critical care demands. The post-holiday projections do not take into account Quebec's recently implemented four-week curfew or Ontario's new stay-at-home orders.
Tam emphasized the need to reduce community spread to help relieve some of the pressure on hospitals and long-term care homes.
"The vaccine alone is not going to make a dent in some of that," she said.
Ontario reported 100 deaths linked to COVID-19, although that took into account a difference in database reporting between one of its health units and the province.
The province's newly resolved tally added 46 deaths from Middlesex-London that occurred earlier in the pandemic.
Ontario also reported 2,998 new cases of COVID-19 with 800 of those new cases in Toronto, 618 in Peel Region and 250 in York Region.
Quebec reported 1,918 new COVID-19 cases and 62 more deaths, including nine that occurred in the past 24 hours.
Concern also remained in Atlantic Canada's hot spot of New Brunswick, which reported 25 new cases and remains at the province's second-highest pandemic alert level.
Saskatchewan, with the highest rate of active cases in the country with 329 per 100,000 people, reported another 382 infections and four deaths.
— By Cassandra Szklarski in Toronto with files from Catherine Levesque and Mia Rabson in Ottawa, Shawn Jeffords in Toronto, Stephanie Taylor in Regina, and Hina Alam in Vancouver.
"It's not a stoppage."
Pfizer Canada spokeswoman Christina Antoniou said the production facility in Puurs, Belgium, is undergoing modifications in the coming weeks to increase the number of doses it can pump out.
Pfizer hopes to double its 2021 production to two billion doses.
“Pfizer Canada will continue to pursue its efforts in anticipation that by the end of March, we will be able to catch up to be on track for the total committed doses for Q1,” Antoniou said.
The news came as Ottawa released federal projections that suggested the pandemic may soon exceed levels seen in the first wave, rising to 19,630 cumulative deaths and 10,000 daily infections in a little over a week.
The modelling shows total cases could grow to nearly 796,630 from about 694,000, and that another 2,000 people could die by Jan. 24.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam urged sustained vigilance as a long-range forecast suggested rapid growth would continue without "quick, strong and sustained" measures.
Tam said that's especially so in national hot spots of Quebec and Ontario, where a steady increase in hospitalizations has strained the health system's ability to keep up with critical care demands. The post-holiday projections do not take into account Quebec's recently implemented four-week curfew or Ontario's new stay-at-home orders.
Tam emphasized the need to reduce community spread to help relieve some of the pressure on hospitals and long-term care homes.
"The vaccine alone is not going to make a dent in some of that," she said.
Ontario reported 100 deaths linked to COVID-19, although that took into account a difference in database reporting between one of its health units and the province.
The province's newly resolved tally added 46 deaths from Middlesex-London that occurred earlier in the pandemic.
Ontario also reported 2,998 new cases of COVID-19 with 800 of those new cases in Toronto, 618 in Peel Region and 250 in York Region.
Quebec reported 1,918 new COVID-19 cases and 62 more deaths, including nine that occurred in the past 24 hours.
Concern also remained in Atlantic Canada's hot spot of New Brunswick, which reported 25 new cases and remains at the province's second-highest pandemic alert level.
Saskatchewan, with the highest rate of active cases in the country with 329 per 100,000 people, reported another 382 infections and four deaths.
— By Cassandra Szklarski in Toronto with files from Catherine Levesque and Mia Rabson in Ottawa, Shawn Jeffords in Toronto, Stephanie Taylor in Regina, and Hina Alam in Vancouver.
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