The European Union (EU) spoke about the difficulties with the production of a vaccine against coronavirus. The head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen said this in an interview with the Suddeutsche Zeitung.
According to her, the European Union initially underestimated possible problems with the production of vaccines. Ursula von der Leyen noted that the EU should have understood that there would be a roller-coaster ride with new manufacturing processes for medicines before the scheme stabilized. The head of the EC added that in the near future, vaccine manufacturers may start reporting capacity shortages. She stressed that one should be constantly prepared for the fact that there is a shortage of materials for the creation of drugs.
Earlier it was reported that vaccination against coronavirus in Italy was under threat: the country has serious problems with the supply of drugs. COVID-19 Emergency Commissioner Domenico Arcuri said the number of vaccines delivered in the country is 60 percent less than previously planned.
In recent weeks, the EU has faced a number of problems with the supply of coronavirus vaccines. So, on January 15, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced its decision to reduce the supply of the drug to European countries while modernizing its production. Then on January 23, the Bild newspaper reported that AstraZeneca would not be able to deliver the expected number of doses of its vaccine to European countries. One of the reasons for the disruption to supplies is a fire at a vaccine plant under construction in the Indian city of Pune.