Merkel and VDL savaged for ‘failing’ Covid vaccine rollout - ‘Vacate post immediately!'
ANGELA MERKEL and Ursula von der Leyen have been accused of failing over the vaccine rollout in the EU as Brussels struggles to supply enough doses across the bloc.
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Ms Merkel has come under fire for not taking the lead over the purchase of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine after EU states claimed they do not have the adequate doses. Such is the low dose numbers across the bloc, the German government was delaying administering the second dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer drug – despite it being part-manufactured in the state. The EU began its vaccine rollout on December 27 but due to the small level of doses for the 27 member states, some have criticised the Commission and indeed, Ms Merkel.
With the new strain of the virus spreading across the country, causing Ms Merkel to extend the state’s lockdown, chairman of the Bayernpartei, Florian Weber, has demanded both EU officials step down from their posts.
He said: “If there was any need to prove that Ms von der Leyen is absolutely unsuitable for her post, then it's this.
“But the federal government, especially Ms Merkel, have failed.
“When it comes to the health of one's own population, it was not appropriate to transfer this task to the EU Commission.
“The fact that they are now trying to obscure the whole thing with hollow phrases such as ‘we do not want vaccination nationalism does not make it any better.
“Ms von der Leyen and Ms Merkel should vacate their posts.
“Preferably immediately. Because this dabbling will cost us dearly."
While the UK has now vaccinated 1.3 million people, German has inoculated just 317,000 since the end of December.
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Both Germany and Holland are both are now contemplating delaying the second dose of the drug in order to release more jabs across the EU.
With member states scrambling to initiate their own vaccination programmes, the EU has moved to boost its original 200 million doses to 300 million.
In particular, Germany’s Health Minister, Jens Spahn, was criticised after publication, Bild, reported he had backed off from leading the purchase of the vaccine.
He and four other EU counterparts backed off in order not to humiliate the EU Commission.
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SPD secretary general, Lars Klingbeil also hit out at the lack of doses for Germany.
He said: “It can't be that in a country that even invented the vaccine, we end up getting too few doses of it.”
The EU has also come under criticism for how long the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has taken to approve the Pfizer drug.
Germany in particular expects to receive 50 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, 56 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab, 62 million doses from Curevac and 37 million from Johnson & Johnson when it is given approval by the EMA.
In contrast, the UK began its rollout of the second drug from Oxford University/AstraZeneca on Monday.
Today, the Prime Minister declared the Government would attempt to vaccinate up to two million a week armed with both viruses.
With the virus spreading quickly throughout the country, the Government has also stated it will administer the first jab of the drug rather than waiting for the second.
Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg.