France could block vaccine shipments over shortages, health minister says
France has suggested the country could block exports of Covid-19 vaccines, the French health minister said this morning, echoing Italy’s move which stopped 250,000 vaccines from reaching Australia yesterday.
Health minister Olivier Veran said France “could” follow Italy’s steps when ask by French broadcaster BFM TV.
The minister added that France received 800,000 doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine yesterday, and that 400,000 doses “still found no takers”, after EU governments doubted its efficacy.
Yesterday, the Italian government blocked a request to export vaccines headed for Australia, after Astra Zeneca failed to meet its EU contract commitments.
Approved by the European Commission, Italy is the first EU country to use the bloc’s new regulations that allow exports to be stopped due to supply shortages.
Australia had intended to begin its vaccine rollout by Monday, and is expecting to receive 1.2m doses from Europe.