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Brussels. It begins on December 27 with vaccinations against Covid throughout Europe. It was Ursula von der Leyen who announced it from Brussels, explaining that the long-awaited European V-Day will actually run over three days, from December 27 to 29. An event with a high symbolic index, wanted by governments and EU institutions also to raise awareness among the public of the continent about the need to be immunized to defeat the pandemic. “It is time for Europe – said the President of the European Commission – to protect our citizens, we are stronger together”. “December 27 will be a good day for Italy and Europe – is the comment of the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza – We still need caution and the road will not be short. But with the start of vaccines we are finally on the right track. “
The green light from the European Medicines Authority (EMA) for the first vaccine, Pfizer, is scheduled for Monday, December 21. Two days later, on December 23, it will be the European Commission, burning in the stages of bureaucratic procedures, to give the final approval to its commercialization. In the next few hours, it is planned that on December 26, the first vials will leave the Belgian plants to reach, at the same time, all the countries of the Union, probably within a European choreography. It is no coincidence that yesterday, interviewed by Repubblica, the Vice President of the EU Commission, Margaritis Schinas, said that the vaccine would be “a Christmas present for all Europeans”.
Therefore, from December 27 to 29, the joint vaccination campaign of the EU will start with the first administrations, then individual countries will launch their own mass immunization plan according to the organization prepared by their governments. Italy, for example, intends to start with the first symbolic inoculations of the continental V-Day already on December 27 immunizing members of the health personnel, therefore, at the beginning of January, but it will also depend on the delivery times of quantities appropriate dosages by Pfizer, we will begin the mass campaign.
The vaccines were purchased by the European Commission on behalf of the Twenty-seven: in total, the Union has around 2 billion doses distributed among six manufacturers. Precisely today Brussels closed a new contract, this time with Novavax, for another 200 million vials, 100 purchased and 100 optional, bringing the vaccines in its portfolio to seven to be covered in case of delays such as those already registered by Sanofi (the times of arrival are uncertain as they are linked to the progress of individual producers on the path to ok from Ema).
Meanwhile, in Brussels, there is concern about the reluctance of a large part of the population to be immunized, so much so that for hours a European communication campaign will be launched to explain that the vaccine is safe and that its free path by the authorities of the Union. based on solid scientific data. The EU took a few more days to authorize than, for example, the United Kingdom precisely because it has thoroughly examined the results of the experiment and because it has developed a strict monitoring protocol linked to conditional authorization that will allow strict control of the progress of the marketing campaigns. vaccination in all Union partners, ready to issue recommendations to recalibrate them in case of adverse events or new evidence, including efficacy, that may arise during the course of work.
