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| - The head of the European Union's coronavirus vaccine supply task force on Thursday slammed AstraZeneca's efforts as "not good enough" to meet delivery obligations for the first quarter of 2021. "AstraZeneca vaccines delivery: I see efforts, but not 'best efforts'," Thierry Breton, the bloc's industry commissioner, wrote on Twitter. "That's not good enough yet for AstraZeneca to meet its Q1 obligations." Breton insisted: "It's time for AstraZeneca's Board to exercise its fiduciary responsibility and now do what it takes to fulfil AZ's commitments." The comments are the latest in a bitter spat between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical giant over major shortfalls in its vaccine deliveries to the 27-nation bloc. Problems with supplies have contributed to a stuttering inoculation rollout that has left EU nations trailing behind the likes of the United States, Britain and Israel. AstraZeneca has admitted it is facing a delivery deficit to the EU of around 60 percent of the 100 million doses meant to be supplied between January and March. The company blamed it on low production yields in the EU factories making its vaccines but said it hoped to improve production in the second quarter of 2021. The European Commission, suspicious that some AstraZeneca vaccine produced in the EU had been sent to Britain, on January 29 launched a scheme to monitor -- and if necessary, block -- exports of Covid vaccines from the EU. Europe's strategy faced fresh problems on Thursday as Denmark, Norway and Iceland said they were temporarily suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine after some patients developed blood clots. Norway and Iceland are not in the EU but are covered by the bloc's medicines regulator the EMA. The EMA said the vaccine was still safe for use, pending an investigation. The EU on Thursday gave approval to a fourth vaccine, a single-jab shot from Johnson & Johnson, as it looks to meet a target to inoculate 70 percent of adults by mid-September. del/mjs
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