"Vaccine pandemic" in the EU - Huge variations in vaccination rates
"An unvaccinated pandemic," said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for a full vaccination as a sign of solidarity.
The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke about a "pandemic of the unvaccinated", speaking on Tuesday (23/11) in the Plenary Session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Specifically, he stated that the ICU beds in the hospitals are covered mainly by unvaccinated. "If we look at hospitalizations and deaths, we see that we are dealing mainly with a pandemic of the unvaccinated," he said, adding that the main priority in the EU is to vaccinate the unvaccinated. He also highlighted the significant differences between Member States in vaccination rates from 29% to 92%. "We have to inform them, explain them, in every village and in every country to convince people and push them to be vaccinated to protect themselves and others around them," von der Leyen said.
According to the President of the Commission , last year the EU lost 1,600 people every day due to the coronavirus. "It is a great sign of solidarity to be vaccinated to help everyone stay alive," he said.
As for the booster dose, he recalled that the EU has secured an additional 1.8 billion doses of the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine, which is sufficient not only for the 3rd adult dose but also for children and adolescents.
"Let everyone move on to full vaccination. "Vaccination protects us, it helps the immune system, it is the only essential protection we have, but it is necessary to observe the other protection measures, distances, the mask, and the other hygiene rules", he stressed.
