Estonia has received more vaccine than EU average
Estonia has received more doses of coronavirus vaccines per capita than EU member states on average, data presented by countries that have received fewer doses reveals.
The people of Estonia make up 0.30 percent of the EU population, while Estonia has gotten 0.31 percent of all vaccines delivered to the EU.
A chart presented by Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Latvia and Bulgaria on the situation as of March 9 suggests the EU has taken delivery of 59,871,090 doses of vaccine of which 185,025 have come to Estonia for a surplus of 7,303 or 4 percent more than Estonia should have received based on its population.
The total amount of vaccine received is nevertheless similar to the European average.
Latvia has received the fewest vaccines per capita (61 percent less than its population suggests), followed by Bulgaria (-59 percent), Croatia (-27 percent), Czech Republic (-20 percent), Ireland and Italy (-8 percent each), Lithuania and Luxembourg (-5 percent each).
Cyprus has received the most extra doses per capita (42 percent), followed by Sweden (18 percent), Denmark and Slovakia (10 percent each), Romania (6 percent). Estonia, the Netherlands and Spain have received 4 percent extra doses.
The chart presented by the five member states does not have a date nor does it make it clear whether different orders put in by member states have been considered. While EU member states are delivered vaccines based on the EU pre-purchase contracts with pharmaceutical companies, member states got to decide which and how much vaccines to order. Latvia apparently bet on AstraZeneca and ordered fewer doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine because it is more difficult to store. However, the latter has been much more proficient at keeping up deliveries than AstraZeneca.
Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Latvia and Bulgaria urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michele to discuss inequality in coronavirus vaccine distribution "as soon as possible" in an address sent on Friday. Michel's office said on Saturday that the European Council will discuss the matter on March 25-26.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski