EU blames AstraZeneca 'failure' as it misses vaccination target

Anglo-Swedish company solely' to blame, says EU commissioner as bloc misses April vaccination target

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AstraZeneca has been squarely blamed by the EU for its comparatively slow Covid vaccine rollout after the bloc of 27 states failed to achieve its target to vaccinate 80% of older people by the end of March.

Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner with responsibility for vaccine supply and distribution, suggested the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company had been wholly at fault for a difficult and widely criticised start.