EU chief accuses AstraZeneca of slowing coronavirus vaccine campaign

Ursula von der Leyen (John Thys, Pool via AP)

The European Union’s chief executive has criticised AstraZeneca, accusing the embattled Anglo-Swedish firm of delaying Europe’s coronavirus vaccination campaign and warning that the EU is considering export bans to ensure supplies.

“AstraZeneca has unfortunately under-produced and under-delivered, and this painfully, of course, reduced the speed of the vaccination campaign,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.