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The Greek official asked the states of the European Union to work on the adoption of a common strategy in this new phase of the pandemic to avoid situations similar to those of the past, with isolated national measures.
The figures known in recent days indicate that the European Union has become the epicenter of the spread of the virus, overtaking the United States of America. There are 100,000 new cases per day. In the US, approximately 51,000 Covid-19 infections are reported, on average, every day.
The need for coordination between the different countries of the European Union is central not only because of the increase in cases but also because of the prospect of the arrival of a vaccine. The WHO has already admitted this possibility, of approving a vaccine for Covid-19, before the end of the year.
About 200 million Europeans will be on the front line to receive the vaccine when it becomes available
The European Commission wants the Member States to be prepared for this moment that will be crucial in the fight against the pandemic but also extremely complex.
It should be borne in mind that health policy is a national prerogative, so the European Commission can only make recommendations for common measures.
In that sense, the EC warns that hospitals and vaccination services must have qualified personnel equipped with the necessary protection tools. It is necessary to anticipate the shortage of equipment that affected the fight against the virus in March.
It is also necessary to take into account, says the European Commission, that Vaccines may need to be stored at extremely low temperatures.
When the vaccine or vaccines are available, they will be made available in a first stage to the most vulnerable groups: health professionals, people over 60, chronically ill, essential workers and the most disadvantaged socioeconomic groups. They are estimated to be about 200 million of the total European Union population of 450 million.
This Thursday, the German Chancellor’s chief of staff, Angela Merkel, said that there was no longer any doubt that “we are at the beginning of a second wave” of the virus.
To add that “It is up to us to stop infections. The longer we wait and the less determined we are, the more impact it will have not only on our health but also on the economy.”
The European Commission ensures that, when available, all Member States will have access, on a population basis.
The distribution plan for the future Covid-19 vaccine foresees that all Member States receive it at the same time and depending on the size of the population.
Vaccine doses are expected to be available in limited quantities at an early stage, before full production begins.
The fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is one of the dominant topics on the agenda of the European Council, which meets today and Friday in Brussels, with the presence of the Prime Minister, António Costa.
The Community Executive is already ensuring doses of covid-19 vaccines through contracts with pharmaceutical companies, on behalf of the countries of the European Union.
Also on Thursday, the European Health Commissioner called on member states to “do whatever is necessary” to avoid a “generalized lockdown”.
“My message is an urgent message. Our time is running out. We must all take steps to avoid the devastating social, economic and health effects of widespread confinement, ”said Stella Kyriakides.
with agencies
