Asharq Al-Awsat Visits Belgian City That Is ‘Going to Save the World’

Pfizer facility in Puurs, Belgium | Photo: Reuters
Pfizer facility in Puurs, Belgium | Photo: Reuters
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Asharq Al-Awsat Visits Belgian City That Is ‘Going to Save the World’

Pfizer facility in Puurs, Belgium | Photo: Reuters
Pfizer facility in Puurs, Belgium | Photo: Reuters

Located a short 22 km away from Brussels, Puurs is a modest Belgian city with a population of 17,000 that is mostly invested in agriculture. Generally calm and elegant, Puurs is known to come alive and busy on the weekends when tourists flock into the city to visit World War II’s Fort Breendonk.

As of late November, Puurs started welcoming dozens of journalists and media broadcasters who made for the city after US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced that its main factory there will be manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer will be manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech and distributing it across Europe. The first batch of the vaccine has already been delivered to the UK last Thursday.

A spokesperson from Pfizer confirmed that the company expects to globally produce up to 50 million vaccine doses by the end of this year.

Correspondents from British media began arriving in Puurs after Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that the final green light was given to rolling out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and that the UK will begin distributing it as of Tuesday.

Pfizer's decision to set up its main European factory in Belgium dates back to the early 1950s.

Most major US pharmaceuticals were attracted to Belgium’s long-standing expertise in chemical industries, sea, and air transportation network, and geographic location which is strategically nestled at Europe’s center.

Locals at Puurs who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat have expressed pride in Pfizer’s achievements.

It is worth noting that, after deciding to go into full-throttle on production to meet Europe’s vaccine demand, Pfizer added 300 employees to its original 3,000 at the Puurs facility.

Koen Van den Heuvel, who has been the Mayor of Puurs for the past 24 years, said locals feel a great sense of pride that something that could save millions of lives is being manufactured in their town.

"I feel the pride of the inhabitants and we say now that we are going to save the world!" Van Der Heuvel told Euronews.

"There is new hope. I hope that our town can have one of the 50 vaccination centers because for me it is very important that people can go near their home for a vaccine."

Located in Belgium's Flanders region, the town is home to a cluster of pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer.



As Iran Tensions Build, US Military Moves Warplanes to Reinforce Middle East 

A B-2 Spirit Bomber from the US Air Force is seen during the annual Red Flag military exercise between the United States, Britain and Australia, in Nevada, US, January 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A B-2 Spirit Bomber from the US Air Force is seen during the annual Red Flag military exercise between the United States, Britain and Australia, in Nevada, US, January 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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As Iran Tensions Build, US Military Moves Warplanes to Reinforce Middle East 

A B-2 Spirit Bomber from the US Air Force is seen during the annual Red Flag military exercise between the United States, Britain and Australia, in Nevada, US, January 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A B-2 Spirit Bomber from the US Air Force is seen during the annual Red Flag military exercise between the United States, Britain and Australia, in Nevada, US, January 23, 2024. (Reuters)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reinforced US military capability in the Middle East with more warplanes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, amid a more than two-week-old US bombing campaign in Yemen and mounting tensions with Iran.

The Pentagon's brief statement did not specify which aircraft were being deployed or where precisely they were sent.

However, as many as six B-2 bombers have relocated in the past week or so to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, according to US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The B-2s have stealth technology and are equipped to carry the heaviest US bombs and nuclear weapons.

"Should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The US military's Strategic Command has declined to say how many B-2s have reached Diego Garcia and noted that it does not comment on exercises or operations involving the B-2.

There is already considerable firepower in the Middle East and the US military will soon have two aircraft carriers in the region.

US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.

While B-2 bombers have been employed to strike buried Houthi targets in Yemen, most experts say use of the stealthy bomber is overkill there and the targets aren't buried so deeply.

However, the B-2 is equipped to carry America's most potent bomb -- the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program.

There are only 20 B-2 bombers in the Air Force's inventory so they are usually used sparingly.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Monday the US would receive a strong blow if Trump followed through with his threats.

Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Commander Amirali Hajizadeh threatened US forces in the Middle East, noting American bases in the Middle East and adding: "They are in a glass house and should not throw stones."

One official told Reuters that the US military was also moving some air defense capabilities from Asia to the Middle East.

In his 2017-2021 term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump also reimposed sweeping US sanctions.

Since then, Iran has far surpassed that deal's limits on uranium enrichment.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says its nuclear program is wholly for civilian energy purposes.