The commission, which is demanding AstraZeneca supplies more jabs to Europe, meanwhile drew up regulations which could block vaccine exports to the UK. Alleged politicisation of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is particularly evident in Europe where the distribution of jabs has trailed well behind progress in the UK. On 25 January, the German newspaper Handelsblatt caused a storm with a front-page story claiming the vaccine had only 8% efficacy in elderly people. No other Covid vaccine manufacturer has had the bad publicity AstraZeneca has suffered. It may be because it attracts political flak as a proxy for the UK, especially in a post-Brexit world.

Source: The Guardian March 26, 2021 15:56 UTC