Ireland set to receive 100,000 more vaccines as AstraZeneca reaches new agreement with EU

In a tweet, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen wrote that the Commission had reached an agreement with the vaccine manufacturer for another delivery of nine million doses before the end of the first quarter of this year.

Ireland is set to receive nearly 100,000 more vaccines from Oxford AstraZeneca following a new agreement between the manufacturer and the European Union. 

In a tweet, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen wrote that the Commission had reached an agreement on delivery of a further nine million doses before the end of the first quarter of this year.

As part of this agreement, it is expected that Ireland will receive an additional 99,000 doses.

This increase would see the country receive 400,000 of the 600,000 doses initially promised.

Step forward on vaccines.@AstraZeneca will deliver 9 million additional doses in the first quarter (40 million in total) compared to last week’s offer & will start deliveries one week earlier than scheduled.

The company will also expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 31, 2021

In total, AstraZeneca will now deliver 40 million doses to EU countries in the first quarter of this year.

Ms von der Leyen also said that deliveries of the vaccines will commence one week earlier than scheduled.

She also said that, as part of the new agreement, AstraZeneca would be increasing its manufacturing capacity in Europe.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said news of the extra deliveries would mean "more vaccines for Ireland in the next two months."

EU AstraZeneca row

A row erupted between the EU and AstraZeneca last week, after the manufacturer told the European Commission that it had experienced a production glitch at one of its hubs in Belgium, meaning initial vaccine deliveries in the first three months of this year would fall below supply targets. 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorised AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union last Friday.

It is the third Covid-19 vaccine to be given rollout approval by the EMA.