The European Union on Sunday launched a coordinated implementation of coronavirus vaccinations in its 27 member states in an effort to vaccinate some 450 million people.
Why it matters: Several European countries have tightened restrictions as cases, deaths and hospitalizations increase. EU countries have recorded at least 16 million COVID-19 cases and 336,000 deaths since the pandemic, per AP.
The whole picture: Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shipments arrived in EU countries on Saturday. Most countries received just under 10,000 doses, according to the AP.
- Germany, Hungary and Slovakia released their first chips for the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday, one before the coordinated launch.
- According to Reuters, Germany on Saturday gave the first shots to a small number of people in a nursing home.
- Hungary administered its first vaccine doses to health workers in Budapest.
- Slovakia, according to AP, also gave its first shots to health workers.
What they say: “Today we are starting to turn the page into a difficult year. The COVID-19 vaccine has been delivered to all EU countries. Vaccination will start across the EU tomorrow, “said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement. video she tweeted on Saturday.
- “The #Evaccinationdays is a gripping moment of unity. Vaccination is the lasting way out of the pandemic,” she added.
- German Health Minister Jens Spahn told a news conference on Saturday that “the vaccine is the key to ending this pandemic … it is the key to getting our lives back,” according to AP.
Go deeper … The Challenge of 2021: Vaccination of the World
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with coordinated implementation news.