The European Commission said Tuesday; the 27-member bloc has reached a crucial milestone with 70% of the adult population now fully vaccinated.
Over 256 million adults in the EU have now received a full vaccine course.
Cyprus is above the EU average, with 78.2% of the adult population receiving at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 73.8% are fully jabbed.
Seven weeks ago, the Commission’s delivery target was met, ahead of time: to provide the Member States, by the end of July, with enough vaccine doses to fully vaccinate 70% of the adult EU population.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “The full vaccination of 70% of adults in the EU already in August is a great achievement.
“The EU’s strategy of moving forward together is paying off and putting Europe at the vanguard of the global fight against COVID-19.
“But the pandemic is not over.
“We need more. I call on everyone who can to get vaccinated.
“And we need to help the rest of the world vaccinate, too.
“Europe will continue to support its partners in this effort, in particular, the low- and middle-income countries.”
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “Our efforts to further increase vaccinations across the EU will continue unabated.
“We will continue to support, in particular those Member States that are continuing to face challenges.
“We need to close the immunity gap and the door for new variants, and to do so, vaccinations must win the race over variants.”
Brussels said given the threat of new variants, it is important to continue ensuring sufficient vaccines, including adapted vaccines, in the coming years.
“That is why the Commission signed a new contract with BioNTech-Pfizer on 20 May, which foresees the delivery of 1.8 billion doses of vaccines between the end of the year and 2023.”
The Commission has also exercised the option of 150 million doses of the second Moderna contract.
Member States have the possibility to resell or donate doses to countries in need outside the EU or through the COVAX Facility, contributing to global and fair access to vaccines across the world.
