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Comment by maxerickson | Hacker News Reader

EU pre-ordered more Pfizer than the US.

Enough for 150 million people in EU, vs enough for 50 million in the US. The US has ordered more after it was approved.

The EU did not pay as much as the US — and signed the contracts much later. Pfizer is doing the rational actor thing and, given a shortage, prioritizing their highest paying clients.

There might also be verbiage in the US contract to this effect. Also, Pfizer is an American company.

There might also be verbiage in the US contract to this effect. Also, Pfizer is an American company.

But also a multinational, manufacturing their vaccine in the US and Belgium. Initially without any help from Operation Warp Speed, which appears to be a mistake if their December claims about supply chain problems was true, along with eventually signing up to the program and moving up their promise for our second 100 million doses from the 3rd to 2nd quarter.

But that Belgium plant? Something is so wrong with it they're shutting it down for a while to improve capacity ir so they claim. My only good guess is that they have a sterility problem and are finding they have to dump way too many lots they produce after testing for that.

As a Belgian, this is what we've heard and read:

- Pfizer stated on 15 Jan 2021 that they would produce 40% less (60.000 instead of 100.000 doses)

- This delay in production would we compensated in the weeks that follow. In February the production should be compensated.

- This was a temporary measure to scale up production after an extra order was made by the EU

The working group concerning the vaccine and it's distribution was to quote "not amused" by this news and wrote a sternly worded letter.

Source:https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/01/16/versnelde-inenting-z... Text in Dutch.

Your last point, the additional order, is crucial. And media, Spiegel being one of the most outspoken, created enough pressure tp force that order. Not that overall quantity was an issue, so. But all people saw was shortages. There were no delivery schedules published, so that played a role. But I would have expected some more investigation and research.

Then thr EU ordered more, being under fire, and that let to a temporary shutdown of the plant and even more severe shortages.

Nobody is thinking about that. Instead, the Spiegel is using this to push an agenda against von der Leyen. I'll not defend her, she should never have gotten the presidency (EDIT: become head of the Commission) but what is going on now is just cheap propaganda. And definitely not helping in any way.

The US does currently not allow COVID-19 vaccine exports. Pfizer's plants are only manufacturing for the US while the EU plants are producing for the EU, Isreal, Canada, UK, etc.

coul EU ban vaccine export?

They tried a retaliatory ban against the UK yesterday over the AstraZeneca situation (vaccines in EU plants were exported to the UK last month because the UK were readier to rollout sooner, the UK is not allowing exports from UK plants in return, leaving the EU with a shortfall on vaccines), but because of the way it involved the Northern Ireland border rules agreed in brexit they faced strong opposition from Ireland, also an EU member and I think they've backed down for now

> Also, Pfizer is an American company.

BioNtech is a German company. If it would come down to national egotism, BioNtech would just kill the licensing deal and Pfizer wouldn't be allowed to produce anything.

I think there are consequences steming out from killing a contractual agreement. They can however license Sanofi and others to produce the vaccine, which is what will be eventually done.

>Pfizer wouldn’t be allowed to produce anything.

Pfizer wouldn’t be allowed to stop producing anything.

Ah yes the good old covid story - sovereign states order some medicine/medical equipment from the companies, and on the airport upon sending it to the country comes US government officials with few extra (freshly printed) suitcases of money to change delivery of that order. Remember quite a few articles from spring about that. 3rd world countries having no chance of receiving what was agreed upon.

I mean I understand, when SHTF its everybody for themselves and fuck the rest. I guess in some twisted view a human nature. But I really have to severely twist it and leave any morals behind the door. Next time somebody will be praising US as some force of good in this world, well they can go fuck themselves too.

/rant

Covid is not nearly as high on the priority list for many third world countries as it is for the US. Here covid shuts down everything. In many African countries it is an order of magnitude less impactful than malaria.

There's less testing, less reporting and much less transparency and awareness. Doesn't mean there's less infection or less dying.

There probably is (less infection) due to the more broad vaccines they receive compared to developed countries, which as a second effect create a little more broad immunity.

Due to the much younger population, most of Africa, India, and Pakistan has had MMR, and it's been found that the mumps vaccine provides significant immunity. In the west most over 35 had measles only, or MR combination without mumps.

DOI: 10.1128/mBio.02628-20

For some reason this hasn't been well covered in the media. I got an MMR booster in June based on preliminary findings, my GP thought I was insane.

Sure but getting 1 million units of anti-malarial drugs properly distributed is an order of magnitude more important than the same quantity of covid vaccines. Just look up their death rates.

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