Von der Leyen says EU has achieved COVID vaccine target | Coronavirus pandemic News

EU leader Ursula von der Leyen is urging members to increase their vaccines as the Delta coronavirus variant spreads across the block.

The European Union has provided enough doses of coronavirus vaccine to member states to achieve the goal of vaccinating at least 70 percent of adults into the bloc, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

Von der Leyen, on May 9, tweeted that the EU was on track to meet its target of inoculating 70 per cent of adults in the summer, called on EU countries to increase vaccines and said around 500 million doses would be distributed across the union on Sunday.

“The European Union has kept its word. This weekend we have given enough vaccines to member states to be able to vaccinate at least 70% of EU adults a month, ”von der Leyen said in a video statement on Saturday.

“But COVID-19 has not yet been defeated. We are ready to provide more vaccines, even against new variants, ”said von der Leyen, who suffered harsh criticism in early 2021 for failing to deliver vaccines contracted by companies.

Goal achieved!

We have given enough vaccines to EU countries this month to vaccinate at least 70% of EU adults.

COVID-19 has not yet been defeated. But we are ready to give more vaccines.

We will get out of this crisis together.
#SafeVaccines pic.twitter.com/5yYCtbqBxc

– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 10, 2021

The EU-led joint EU vaccine purchase scheme has provided 330 million BioNTech-Pfizer shots, 100 million AstraZeneca doses, 50 million from Modern and 20 million Johnson & Johnson shots.

The goal for the longer term of the block is to have enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population that is eligible by the end of September.

Von der Leyen added in his latest statement that the EU was ready to provide more doses, including vaccines that work against new variants.

Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallegos, reported from London, said that despite the success of EU vaccines, there are still concerns about the high-transmission crown virus variant Delta, first recorded in India.

“There is a highly contagious Delta variant that can sweep across the continent, which is why they are urging member states to continue their vaccination programs and really move forward,” Gallegos said.

It was the EU criticized at the beginning some because they were slow to negotiate contracts with drug suppliers, and the plan was later hampered when some companies (especially the UK-based AstraZeneca) were not in deliveries.

But, as the industry raced to boost production of newly developed vaccines, purchases began.

The commission said last week that EU countries had ordered nearly 40 million more doses of the vaccine created by Johnson and Johnson.

The Commission had previously warned that a highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus would be prevalent in Europe this summer, citing estimates from the EU’s disease prevention agency.