EU virus vaccination campaign off to uneven start
A small bottle labeled with a “COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in front of displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration.
The European Union’s campaign to vaccinate Europeans against COVID-19 has got off to an uneven start in what will be a marathon effort to administer shots to enough of the bloc’s 450 million people to defeat the pandemic.
In one mishap, eight workers at a care home in Stralsund on the north German coast were injected with five times the recommended dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Four were hospitalized.
“I deeply regret the incident. This individual case is due to individual errors. I hope that all those affected do not experience any serious side-effects,” district chief Stefan Kerth said on Monday.
In southern Germany, officials had to send back about 1,000 doses after finding they had been transported in cool boxes typically used for picnics or camping trips that failed to keep the vaccine cold enough.
The EU vaccination drive kicked off at the weekend, with health workers and residents of care homes across the bloc among the first to get the shots from Pfizer, which must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures to keep effectiveness.
In Italy, meanwhile, some complained that Germany — the EU’s largest member state and home to BioNTech — may be getting more than its fair share of shots than other member states.
“The accounts don’t add up,” Italian virologist Roberto Burioni said on Twitter pointing to reports in Germany that first-day deliveries had totalled more than 150,000 doses while other EU countries got just 10,000.
The EU is due to receive its first 12.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by New Year’s Day, with distribution of 200 million doses across its 27 member countries to be done by next September.
The vaccine course requires two doses.
Talks are under way to agree on the delivery of an optional further 100 million doses under the contract sealed with the two companies, the EU said.
The EU is distributing jointly procured vaccines on a pro-rata basis to the 27 member states based on their populations, while some European countries have also made their own deals to buy extra doses separately.
