EU chief says vaccine maker AstraZeneca to supply 9 million more doses, begin delivery sooner after urgent talks
![82-year-old Brian Pinker of Britain receives the very first Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England.](https://kvia.b-cdn.net/2021/01/hypatia-h_d3947aa9d6de41c46310118c820c2bd7-h_4c2c652a726c3404e1d4b8fbf40c67b5-scaled.jpg)
BERLIN (AP) — The European Union says vaccine maker AstraZeneca has agreed to supply 9 million additional doses to the 27-nation bloc during the first quarter. The new target of 40 million doses by the end of March is still only half what the company had originally aimed for, triggering a spat between AstraZeneca and the EU last week. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said late Sunday that the British-Swedish pharmaceutical maker will also begin deliveries one week sooner than scheduled and expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe.