Coronavirus: all countries of the European Union c …

The 27 countries of the European Union They will start their vaccination campaigns against the coronavirus “the same day” as a sign of unity, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced today. “We will start the vaccination together as soon as possible, on the 27th, the same day, the same way we went through this pandemic together,” the official said in a speech to the European Parliament.

“To control the pandemic, we will need to vaccinate up to 70 percent Population. It’s a huge task, ”he said.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the EU’s regulatory body, has postponed its meeting until next Monday to assess approval of the vaccine developed by Pfizer / BioNTech laboratories.

Parallel, UK and US have already started to vaccinate, a situation that has provoked the impatience of countries like Germany, which wants to start its campaign before Christmas.

European standards allow each country to make decisions about launching vaccination campaigns, but the EU prefers unified action to avoid areas lagging behind.

Von der Leyen also recalled that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is just one of six the EU has in store, with huge up-front purchase contracts already signed.

“In total, we bought more than sufficient doses for everyone in Europe. And we will be able to support our neighbors and allies around the world, ”said Von der Leyen.

This cooperation could be carried out within the framework of the Covax program, coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), precisely so that vaccines considered effective and safe are equally available in all countries and not only in the most rich.