EU CRITICIZED FOR UNDER-ORDERING COVID-19 VACCINE

A top executive behind the Pfizer- Biontech coronavirus vaccine has criticized the European Union for failing to order enough doses.

“The process in Europe was not as quick and straightforward as it was in other countries,” Ugur Sahin, the billionaire scientist and CEO of Biontech, told Spiegel magazine.

“There was an assumption that many other companies would come with vaccines. Obviously the thinking which prevailed was, we' ll get enough, it won't be so bad, and we have it under control. I was amazed.” Pfizer-biontech's is the only vaccine with EU approval so far, but the bloc only ordered 200 million doses until last week, when it ordered a further 100 million.

That is still not enough to provide the EU'S 446 million population with a single shot, let alone the two required for the vaccine to be effective.

Biontech is now in urgent talks with suppliers to ramp up its production to meet the demand.