French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday accused the United Kingdom of “blackmail” against the European Union over COVID-19 vaccine supply, adding that the UK is now “handicapped” as it doesn’t have doses for second vaccine shots, reported AFP.

“The United Kingdom has taken great pride in vaccinating well with the first dose except they have a problem with the second dose,” Drian told France Info radio, as per AFP.

Also read: EU, UK vow COVID-19 vaccine cooperation amid supply row

Drian added that people are vaccinated when they get both doses of the vaccine. “Today there are as many people vaccinated with both in France as the United Kingdom,” he said. The minister also called for a “cooperation agreement” with London over deliveries by pharma giant AstraZeneca.

“You can’t be playing like this, a bit of blackmail, just because you hurried to get people vaccinated with a first shot, and now you’re a bit handicapped because you don’t have the second one,” Drian added.

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The latest EU-UK row is about an AstraZeneca plant in the Netherlands that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government claims as part of the British vaccine supply chain.

The European Union warned Thursday it would ban drugs firms from exporting coronavirus vaccines to the UK and other well-supplied countries until they make good on their promised deliveries to the bloc.

According to AFP, Britain has administered two vaccine doses to 4.1% of its population, while France has given the shots to 3.9% overall.