The European Union said it achieved the goal of completely vaccinating 70% of adults against Covid-19 by the end of the summer, although with wide variations between different countries, showing how the block’s vaccination campaign has gained momentum after a slow start early in the course.
But the World Health Organization has warned that the pace of vaccinations on the continent appears to be faltering and that the data show large differences in vaccine coverage between different countries, leaving parts of Europe at risk. of new outbreaks and new restrictions to intensify the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said on Tuesday that more than 256 million people in the 27-member bloc had received two doses of vaccine, equivalent to 70% of the adult population. In the United States, 63% of people 18 and older are completely vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The UK has completely vaccinated 77% of those over 16 years of age.
According to the Our University in Data project at Oxford University, of the total population of some 447 million people in the EU, just under 58% have been completely vaccinated. This compares with 52% of the total US population and 63% in the UK
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the 70% milestone as “a great success that really demonstrates what we can do when we work together”.