Covid-19: EU unity as mass vaccination rolls out

The European Union has rolled out a mass vaccination campaign in an effort to fight Covid-19.

Ursula Von der Leyen European Commission President revealed how the vaccine was distributed across 27 member states. 

Some countries already began their vaccination campaigns as early as Saturday. The EU has been hard hit with Covid-19, reporting over 355,000 fatalities. Over 14 million people are reportedly infected prompting strict lockdown measures in member states. The vaccine rollout comes as the new variant of Covid-19’s presence has been confirmed in most countries. 

Mass vaccination kickstarted on Sunday targeting the block of 446 million people. This came as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) alongside the European Commission authorized the use of the German-US Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. So far, the EU has secured deals of over $2 billion from a range of vaccine doses. 

Also read: Europe closes for Covid

According to Ms. Von der Leyen, vaccination will begin tomorrow across the block. She described vaccination as the only lasting way out of the pandemic. 

Jen Spahn German health minister expressed happiness with the fact that vaccines with the first vaccines are on the road across Europe, Germany, and other federal states. Further deliveries are expected in the days to follow. 

Luigi Di Maio Italian foreign minister urged his compatriots to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, health workers in northeast Germany waited till Sunday before starting the immunization of their of the elderly Halberstadt residents - a nursing home. Italy has thus far received 9,750 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. 

In Hungary, a doctor at Del-Pest Central Hospital was the first recipient of the virus. Authorities in Slovakia are also proceeding with their vaccination drive. Vaccinations were carried across France, Spain and Italy with key focus given to the frontline healthcare workers, elderly and nursing residents. 

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