EU exported 77 million COVID-19 vaccines since December – Commission

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union exported some 77 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 33 countries since Dec 1, 2020, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen briefed EU leaders at a summit on Thursday.

According to slides, showed to leaders by von der Leyen and seen by Reuters, the 27 nation bloc has administered around 62 million doses out of the 88 million that vaccine makers supplied for use in the EU. The document shows that 18.2 million EU citizens, or 4.1% of the population, were now fully vaccinated with two doses.

The number on exports is much bigger than the figure released by the EU so far, which had been calculated since the end of January, when the EU set up a mechanism to monitor vaccine flows. Earlier figures are based on customs data, officials had said. On Wednesday the Commission said it had exported 43 million doses since late January.

The slides also showed that in the first quarter, the EU estimates it will receive 66 million doses from BionTech/Pfizer, 10 million from Moderna and 30 million from AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca had committed in its contract with the EU to providing 90 million shots in the first quarter, and another 30 million in December, the document shows.

In the second quarter, the EU expects 200 million doses from BionTech-Pfizer, 35 million from Moderna, 70 from AstraZeneca and 55 million from Johnson & Johnson [].

AstraZeneca’s contractual obligations were for 180 million doses in the second quarter, the slides showed.

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