EU

Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic insisted on receiving their full quota of vaccines under the general shareout system according to population, refusing to help five struggling countries.

The World Health Organization has branded the EU start to vaccinations 'unacceptably slow'.

The European Medicines Agency says a causal link is not proven although it is possible, and that the vaccine's benefits outweigh the possible risks.

The violations involved the US-based agency's operations in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, with the biggest fine imposed on Moody's UK.

China’s strong retaliation against Western sanctions over human rights abuses is bringing Europe and the US closer together.

The Netherlands and Belgium, centres of EU vaccine production, are skittish at talk of an embargo, fearful that disruption to global supply chains could hurt other firms' production.

He blames the slow pace of vaccine rollouts in the EU on leaders' failure to anticipate how fast vaccines would be developed.

The measure, put in place to monitor exports from EU territory and if necessary to block them, has already been used once to prevent an AstraZeneca shipment leaving Italy for Australia.

The EU is facing a third wave and desperately needs to increase it's vaccination rates with only 10% of its population inoculated.

Poland is a staunchly Roman Catholic country and out of step with more liberal EU countries.

The study comes as France and Germany consider reversing their refusal to authorise the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65 due to concerns of its efficacy.

So far France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and several other countries have put age limits on the vaccine.