Close-up image of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccination bottle.
Hugh Hastings | Getty Images News | Getty Images
LONDON – Pfizer will temporarily reduce the number of doses of its coronavirus vaccine being delivered to Europe, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
The official said in a statement released on Friday that deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would be reduced starting next week “and for a period ahead”.
NIPH said it received a message from Pfizer “just before 10 am” on Friday, according to a translation of the statement.
“We were expecting 43,875 doses of vaccines from Pfizer in week 3. Now it looks like we received 36,075 doses,” the statement said. A Pfizer spokesman was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
He explained that the temporary reduction in deliveries was “in connection with an upgrade in production capacity.” “The temporary reduction will affect all European countries,” he added.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday that he felt confident he could “dramatically increase” vaccine production this year with a goal of making up to 2 billion doses.
Bourla also said that Pfizer currently has more doses of its vaccine available than are being used.
The European Union said last week that it was doubling its stockpile of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the deal would allow the EU to buy an additional 300 million doses of its existing stock. The EU’s executive arm has already been criticized for not buying more of the vaccine.