Spain will purchase the UK-made coronavirus vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and produced by the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company, the Spanish Ministry of Health said in a press release on Tuesday
MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2020) Spain will purchase the UK-made coronavirus vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and produced by the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company, the Spanish Ministry of Health said in a press release on Tuesday.
"This [vaccine] is one of the most advanced options and is already undergoing clinical trials to guarantee its safety and effectiveness. Spain has joined the collective purchase of this vaccine together with other EU member-states. The vaccine will be distributed among states on the basis of equality depending on the size of their population," the press release read.
The ministry pointed out that the European Union was still engaged in talks with other companies developing candidate vaccines against COVID-19.
"All these negotiations are within the European strategy on vaccines which Spain joined in July. It develops a common European position that will ensure that everyone has an equal access to the vaccine for the protection of humanity," the ministry said.
On Monday, the European Commission wrapped up talks with the US-based Moderna pharmaceutical company, the fifth potential supplier of a vaccine, for an early access to 80 million doses initially. The other four include Sanofi-GSK, Johnson & Johnson, CureVac and AstraZeneca.
June brought a new splash of coronavirus cases in Spain, which used to be among Europe's three worst outbreaks in the beginning of the year. In four past days alone, health authorities confirmed over 19,400 new cases, predominantly among young people without symptoms.
As of Tuesday, Spain has reported more than 405,000 cumulative cases, including nearly 29,000 deaths.
