- The European Union has denied blocking a shipment of 3.1 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Australia
- The bloc has said repeatedly that AstraZeneca will not be allowed to export doses until it fulfils its contractual obligations closer to home
- The delay adds to Australia’s already struggling vaccination program, which is currently 80 per cent behind schedule
- Only about 670,000 people have been inoculated out of an initial target of four million by the end of March
- Now, however, Morrison has said that if the E.U. was indicating its willingness to release shipments, he would again ask for the doses to be sent
The European Union has denied blocking a shipment of 3.1 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Australia as the bloc steps up its scrutiny of vaccine exports in an attempt to address local shortages.
A source within the Australian government told Reuters that the country had little hope of receiving the 400,000 doses it’s owed on time, further complicating a vaccine rollout that’s already 80 per cent behind schedule.
“We cannot confirm any new decision to block vaccine exports to Australia or to any other country,” a spokesman for the European Commission said at a news conference.
The E.U. claims to have blocked only one out of 491 vaccine export requests since it pledged greater transparency in late January, but added that seven requests were currently under review.
The bloc has said repeatedly that AstraZeneca will not be allowed to export doses until it fulfils its contractual obligations closer to home — a position that has pushed the company to refrain from submitting some export requests.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison blamed the missed shipments on Tuesday for Australia’s lagging vaccination program.
“In early January, we anticipated we would have the 3.1 million vaccines. Those vaccines were not supplied to Australia,” he said. “That is the reason.”
Only about 670,000 people have been inoculated out of an initial target of four million by the end of March.
On Wednesday, however, Morrison said that if the E.U. was now indicating its willingness to release shipments, he would again ask for the 3.1 million doses to be sent.
“We obviously want those millions of doses,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“Given statements made overnight, that apparently there is no obstruction to that and then I would hope that could be readily addressed.”
Morrison added that, should Australia receive those doses, one million would be donated to Papua New Guinea, which is struggling with soaring case numbers.