Norway will use its contingency vaccine stockpile to compensate Pfizer’s reduction in deliveries

From next week, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer will reduce vaccine deliveries to Norway and Europe. Norway’s contingency stockpile can compensate for the reduced deliveries.

Sweden’s vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström told newspaper VG on Friday night that he has received confirmation from Pfizer’s global management that there will only be a reduction in the number of doses delivered in one week and not several weeks ahead.

The temporary reduction will affect all European countries, and it is not yet clear when Pfizer will reach maximum production capacity again.

7,800 fewer doses

The reason for the pharmaceutical giant’s reduction is an upgrade in production capacity. 

When the upgrade is completed, the company will be able to increase its production of the vaccines from the current 1.3 billion to 2 billion doses per year, according to the National Institute of Public Health (FHI).

Norway has already started vaccinating its population with Pfizer’s corona vaccines.

“For Norway, this means that – in the first instance – we will receive 7,800 fewer doses in week three than what Pfizer had previously reported,” FHI’s director of infection control Geir Bukholm said.

Contingency stockpile

Norway was expecting 43,875 vaccine doses from Pfizer next week, but now it looks that the country will receive 36,075 doses.

“Now, we have the opportunity to cover this reduction in deliveries from the emergency stockpile we have in Norway,” Bukholm said.

“The stockpile we have will be able to compensate for a reduction in the planned deliveries for a few weeks ahead if there is a need for that.”

“Norway can continue its vaccination pace”

Minister of Health Bent Høie (H) told news bureau NTB that such situations are the very reason why the government has supported the FHI in having an emergency stockpile. 

Sweden and Denmark are among the countries that have given priority to vaccinating people faster with the first dose and who are now struggling due to the reduction in deliveries.

“Norway can continue with its pace to vaccinate people with both dose one and dose two, while the countries that have used all the vaccines they have received for administering dose one must now reduce (vaccination) activity at short notice,” Høie said.

He also noted that it is very important that manufacturers keep the authorities and distributors continuously updated on plans that may affect planned deliveries.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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