AstraZeneca hits back at EU claims over failure to meet promised vaccine quotas in second-quarter

Dr Michael McKenna prepares to administer the first of two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to patient John Grey at Falls Surgery on the Falls Road, Belfast.

AstraZeneca has rejected reports it will deliver less than half the number of Covid-19 vaccines it was contracted to supply to the European Union (EU) in the second quarter of this year. 

In a statement released this evening, the pharmaceutical firm said in its most up-to-date second-quarter forecast; it aims to deliver vaccines "in line with its contract with the European Commission".