AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to be shared across Europe, says France

The Netherlands also made clear on Monday that the vaccines would be available to all EU countries that sign up to the scheme after Belgium criticised the deal

A deal between AstraZeneca and four European countries for Covid-19 vaccines involves doses being shared by European Union members on a pro rata basis based on population, a source at the French President's office said on Monday.

The British drugmaker signed a contract with France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands at the weekend for up to 400 million doses of its potential vaccine.

Governments have been scrambling to secure advance purchases of promising coronavirus immunisation treatments amid concerns within the EU that the bloc has not moved as fast as other regions or countries.