Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš asked President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to allow vaccinating six people from one Pfizer vial instead of the current five as soon as possible. That way, many more people would get vaccinated.
On Twitter, Babiš noted that the United States and Israel also approved such a plan. “This evening, I have asked the EC president to explore and approve together with the European Medicines Agency, as soon as possible, the possibility of using a Pfizer ampule for six doses instead of five,” wrote Babiš on Twitter. “This practice came out of the USA and it was approved by the Israeli Ministry of Health as well. I have been receiving information from many Czech hospitals that one ampule can provide six doses without any problem,” added the Czech prime minister.
He pointed out that if the European Commission approves the proposal, the European Union would have about 360 million doses instead of 300 million doses. Based on the current order, Czechia, for example, would have an additional 1.6 million doses. “I strongly hope that the EC President will find a solution shortly,” Babiš added. According to the Ministry of Health, the Czech Republic will receive another delivery of about 19,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. Vaccines will be also redistributed among hospitals in the regions. More vials were scheduled to arrive on Monday, however, deliveries across Europe are delayed due to logistics problems. In the Czech Republic, vaccination against COVID-19 began, as in other EU countries, on Sunday, Dec. 27. The first doses of the vaccine at the Central Military Hospital were given to PM Andrej Babiš and war veteran Emilia Řepíková.
Title image: Czech PM Andrej Babiš gets vaccinated in the Central Military Hospital in Prague (Andrej Babiš / Twitter)
