EU Hits 70% COVID-19 Vaccination Milestone

The European Union (EU) hit its initial target for mass vaccinations against COVID-19 in a major symbolic milestone, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced.

Photo Insert: The first person to be vaccinated in Bulgaria was Prof. Dr. Kostadin Angelov, Health Minister of Bulgaria, at St. Anna Hospital in Sofia.

"Seventy percent of adults in the EU are now fully vaccinated. And that is more than 250 million people," von der Leyen said in a short video statement heralding "the great achievement," Ella Joyner reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

"But the pandemic is not over and we must remain vigilant," the EU executive branch chief said, calling on more Europeans to get vaccinated quickly "to avoid a new wave of infections and to stop the emergence of new variants."

The bloc also needs to help other countries vaccinate, she added, "because we will only end this pandemic if we defeat it in every corner of the globe."

The EU's vaccination campaign began in the final days of 2020, with the commission aiming to see 70 percent of those aged 18 and older inoculated by late September. The European Commission hasn't set another goal beyond this initial target but has made clear it wants to keep going to pursue the highest possible level of group protection.

Despite sealing deals with pharmaceutical manufacturers at roughly the same time as other major economies like the United States and Britain, the EU got off to a comparatively slow start.

The bloc was initially beset by a string of production bottlenecks and delivery hiccups.

Some member states were also slow in getting going with vaccinations. But the EU has now overtaken the US.

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