The World Health Organisation (WHO) criticised the European Union (EU) for setting control on the export of coronavirus vaccines. The WHO said, doing so could prolong the pandemic. The EU Commission announced yesterday that it will control exports of coronavirus vaccines from the EU to ensure its own supplies.
WHO officials said the EU’s latest measure is a worrying trend. The organisation says it could leave the pandemic burning and slow global economic recovery and widen global inequality.
As of today, very few coronavirus vaccines have reached the poorer countries.
The measure could stop the export of a vaccine if there is not enough supply within the 27 EU member states. The new rule will require vaccine manufacturing firms to seek permission if they wish to supply outside the European Union.
According to the BBC, this measure could affect around 100 countries including the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.
But the poorer countries will not be affected by this rule. According to the BBC and Aljazeera, the rule is exempted for donations to Covax facility which is designed to help poorer countries in accessing coronavirus vaccines.
The EU announced the news on controlling vaccine exports following AstraZeneca’s failure to deliver vaccine shots as promised. EU countries have also received fewer deliveries of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines than expected.
Phub Gyem
