PORTO, Portugal (AP) — European Union leaders have cranked up their criticism of the U.S. call to waive COVID-19 vaccine patents, arguing the move would bring no short or midterm relief. They instead urged Washington to lift export restrictions if it wants to have a global impact on the pandemic. The U.S. has kept a tight lid on exports of American-made vaccines so it can inoculate its own population first. Meanwhile, the EU has become the world’s leading provider, allowing about as many doses to go outside the 27-nation bloc as are kept for its 446 million inhabitants. The EU says the U.S. position on patent waivers is not a “magic bullet.”
