Europe has faced the third coronavirus wave. According to Director for Political Communication at the European Commission Dana Spinant, this is a significant reason to accelerate the vaccination paces.
The third wave is characterized by a new coronavirus strain. In some European countries, the virus spreads very fast, whereas in others it is transmitted from one person to another quite slowly. The European Union is on the edge of a very difficult period as the local economy could be seriously damaged. That is why the acceleration of the mass vaccination program is the only way out.
Dana Spinant emphasizes that the key aim of the government is to provide about 70% of adults with COVID-19 doses. "There are not yet enough vaccine doses in Europe to stop the third wave by vaccination alone," German Health Minister Jens Spahn said.
The European Commission supposes that in the first quarter of the year, such companies as Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca will be able to provide 27 EU countries with 100 million doses. Notably, this figure is 40% lower than it was expected earlier. In the autumn, the European Commission ordered 166 million doses. According to the contract between the European Commission and the above-mentioned pharmaceutical companies, the order was partially paid by the purchaser.
At the moment, the leading EU countries are tightening restrictive measures in order to slow down the new virus spread. Importantly, such a decision was made almost one year after the first national lockdown was introduced in March 2020.
