European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Saturday that the European Union has reached its goal of delivering enough Covid-19 vaccine doses to member states to fully vaccinate 70% of adults.
“I have good news for our European citizens today. The EU has kept its word,” declared von der Leyen in a statement, revealing that the EU has now “delivered enough vaccines to Member States to be in a position to vaccinate fully at least 70% of EU adults still this month.”
“By tomorrow, some 500 million vaccine doses will have been distributed right across the regions of the European Union,” she continued, boasting that the “EU delivers” and that its “vaccination campaign has accelerated tremendously since the beginning of the year.”
Von der Leyen went on to add some other slogans, including, “Our joint approach is a success,” “We will only come out of this crisis together” and “COVID-19 is not yet defeated,” before promising to deliver more vaccines, “including against new variants” if necessary.
“Now, Member States must do everything, to increase vaccinations. Only then will we be safe,” she concluded.
The 70% goal was set earlier this year as the EU’s vaccine rollout rate fell behind that of the UK, which had recently departed the bloc. “By summer 2021, Member States should have vaccinated a minimum of 70% of the entire adult population,” read the goal, which was made public in January, though a specific date was not set, giving the EU some leniency.
Over 80 million vaccinations have been carried out in the UK, where 45 million people have received a first dose and 34 million people have received a second. Almost 87% of adults in the UK have received at least one jab, while 65% are fully vaccinated. (RT)