Doctors, nurses and the elderly rolled up their sleeves across the European Union to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine on Sunday in a symbolic show of unity and a moment of hope for a continent facing the worst health care crisis in a century.
While a few countries were dispensing doses a day early, the coordinated rollout for the 27-country bloc aimed to spread a unified message that the vaccine was safe and Europe’s best chance of emerging from the pandemic and the economic devastation caused by months of Lockdown.
For health workers who fought the virus using only masks and shields to protect themselves, the vaccines provided an emotional relief and a public opportunity to urge the 450 million people in Europe to take the photos for their own health and that of others .
“Today I am here as a citizen, but mostly as a nurse, to represent my category and all health professionals who choose to believe in science,” said Claudia Alivernini, 29, the first person to be vaccinated in the Spallanzani. hospital for infectious diseases in Rome.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called the vaccine, which was developed in record time, a ‘game-changer’.
“We know that today is not the end of the pandemic, but it is the beginning of victory,” he said.
Italian virus tsar Domenico Arcuri said it was significant that the first doses from Italy were administered in Spallanzani, where a Chinese couple from Wuhan tested positive in January and Italy’s first confirmed cases became.
Within weeks, Northern Lombardy became the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe and a cautionary tale of what happens when even wealthy regions are not prepared for a pandemic. Lombardy is still responsible for about a third of the deaths in Italy, which has the worst number of confirmed viruses on the continent at nearly 72,000.
“Today is a beautiful, symbolic day: all citizens of Europe together are starting to get their vaccinations, the first ray of light after a long night,” Arcuri told reporters.
But he cautioned, “We all need to be careful, careful, and responsible. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re finally seeing a little light.”
The vaccine, developed by the German BioNTech and the American medicine maker Pfizer, arrived in super cold containers at EU hospitals from a factory in Belgium on Friday. Each country received only a fraction of the doses needed – less than 10,000 in the first batches – and the larger rollout is expected in January when more vaccines become available. All those who receive an injection on Sunday should come back for a second dose within three weeks.
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Union’s executive committee, said that with additional vaccines in development, the EU will have more injections than it needs and could share its surplus with the Western Balkans and Africa.
“Europe is well positioned,” she said.
In Los Olmos nursing home in the Spanish city of Guadalajara, northeast of Madrid, 96-year-old Araceli Hidalgo and a caregiver were the first Spaniards to receive the vaccine.
“Let’s see if we can all behave and get this virus out,” Hidalgo said.
The Los Olmos home suffered two confirmed Covid-19 deaths and an additional 11 deaths among residents with symptoms that were never tested.
The Czech Republic was spared its worst pandemic in the spring, but the fall saw the health care system on the verge of collapse. In Prague, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis received his shot on Sunday at dawn and said, “There is nothing to worry about.” Next to him was World War II veteran Emilie Repikova, who also received a shot.
In total, the 27 countries of the EU have recorded at least 16 million coronavirus infections and more than 336,000 deaths – massive numbers that experts say still underestimate the real toll of the pandemic due to missed cases and limited testing.
The vaccination campaign should alleviate frustrations that were building up, especially in Germany, when Britain, Canada and the United States started their vaccination programs with the same vaccine weeks earlier.
It turned out that some EU vaccinations started a day early in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. The operator of a German nursing home where dozens were vaccinated on Saturday, including a 101-year-old woman, said: “Every day we wait is one day too many.”
In France, where many have doubts about the safety of vaccines, the French government has been cautious about its reports, keen to ensure that it is not seen as imposing vaccinations on the public. France’s first vaccination in a nursing home in a poor area outside Paris on Sunday was not broadcast live on television like elsewhere in Europe, and no government ministers were present.
“We didn’t have to convince her. She said, ‘Yes, I am ready for anything to prevent this disease,'” said Dr. Samir Tine, head of geriatric services at Sevran nursing home where the first injection from France is going. went.78-year-old Mauricette.
“It’s an important day,” said Tine. “We are very excited to have a new weapon at our disposal and we are very excited to rediscover our normal life.”
Among the politicians fired on Sunday to promote wider acceptance of vaccinations was Bulgarian Health Minister Kostadin Angelov. “I can’t wait to see my 70-year-old dad without fear of infecting him,” Angelov said.
After receiving his injection, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared Sunday “a great day for science and the European Union”.
“We hope that over time even our fellow citizens who are suspicious of vaccination will be convinced that it is the right choice,” he said.
A new virus variant has now been discovered in France, Italy, Spain, Canada and Japan, which is spreading rapidly around London and southern England. The new variant, which is much easier to transfer according to the UK authorities, has prompted many countries to restrict travel from Great Britain.
Japan announced that it would temporarily ban all non-resident foreigners from entering until January 31 as a precautionary measure against the UK’s new variant.
Germany’s BioNTech has said it is confident its vaccine will work against the new British variant, but added that further studies are needed.
On January 6, the European Medicines Agency will consider approving another Moderna vaccine, already in use in the United States.
Dr. Annalisa Malara, who established the first domestic case in Italy on February 20 and confirmed that the Europe outbreak was underway, was present at her hospital in Codogno to encourage all Italians to take the injection.
“Today we are closing a bit the circle that opened on February 20,” she said.