WHO Europe: Vaccine production delays are a real issue
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} National tensions are erupting over slow coronavirus vaccine rollouts but production delay issues are real and world leaders must realize that “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” the European chief for the World Health Organization said Thursday. Kluge said he had spoken with EU President Charles Michel and EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, citing a “general goodwill” and an “understanding that no one is safe until everyone is safe. "We stand by them and we do understand the situation.” Dr. Siddhartha Datta, WHO Europe’s program manager for vaccine-preventable disease and immunization, noted “production hindrances” and supply issues at both AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Dr. Catherine Smallwood, the agency’s senior emergency officer, said efforts to lower virus transmission rates were “a little bit like stopping a fast-moving train” and said sweeping restrictive measures like school closings could be necessary.