Simultaneous COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin Across EU Member States... 6.25 Million Expected to Be Vaccinated Within the Year (Comprehensive)

Vaccinations to be carried out in most countries within the year except the Netherlands
Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary started a day earlier
Macron: "A new weapon to fight against COVID-19 has emerged"

On the 27th (local time), a resident of a nursing home in Cologne, Germany, expressed pain while receiving the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by the American company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech. On this day, most European Union (EU) member countries simultaneously began vaccination. The 27 EU member countries aim to vaccinate up to 70% of their population. Cologne, Germany = Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Following the United Kingdom and the United States, the European Union (EU) has also joined the ranks of COVID-19 vaccination. The EU Commission plans to conduct mass vaccinations for the general public starting from the second quarter of next year and aims to complete the vaccination of all member citizens, totaling 450 million people, by the end of next year. Leaders of each country have unanimously welcomed this, saying that a weapon to end the war against COVID-19 has arrived.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP), on the 27th (local time), the EU Commission announced that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has been distributed to EU member countries and that vaccinations will begin from the 27th through the 29th. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, emphasized on Twitter, "The vaccine has been delivered to all member countries, and the official vaccination day of the EU started on the 27th," calling it "a moving moment of unity." The EU Commission stated that 12.5 million doses (enough for 6.25 million people) of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to be administered across Europe by the end of the year.

According to The New York Times (NYT), most EU member countries including France, Italy, Spain, and Austria began vaccinations on this day, while Belgium is scheduled to start vaccinations on the 28th. While all EU member countries plan to start vaccinations by the 29th, the Dutch health authorities are the only ones to announce that vaccinations will begin on the 8th of next month. Hugo de Jonge, Dutch Minister of Health, stated in a press briefing, "The success of the vaccine depends on being cautious and safe," explaining that the Netherlands will start vaccinations later than other EU member countries.

In Germany, where vaccinations started the earliest in Europe, the first vaccination had already begun the day before. According to Germany's DPA news agency, the first person vaccinated in Germany was Edith Kwoizchala, a 101-year-old woman residing in a nursing home in Saxony-Anhalt, along with 50 residents and staff members of the nursing home who received the vaccine on the same day. The German government announced that it would prioritize vaccinations for nursing home residents and staff who are at the highest risk of death. Along with Germany, Slovakia and Hungary also started vaccinations one day ahead of the EU's official vaccination day.

Leaders of European countries are welcoming the arrival of a weapon that will accelerate the end of COVID-19. According to CNN, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, who recovered after testing positive for COVID-19 on the 17th, stated on Twitter on this day, "We now have a new weapon called the vaccine to fight the virus," adding, "We must hold firm once again." Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of Austria, also emphasized in a press briefing, "The vaccine is a game changer," and "We know today is not the end of the COVID-19 pandemic but the beginning of victory."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.