The European Union (EU) launched the first phase of its mass vaccination program on Sunday, delivering doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to all 27 member states.
The trade bloc faces a major logistical challenge as vaccines roll out as a new Covid-19 variant spreads across multiple countries.
“Today we are starting to turn the page in a difficult year,” Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said on Twitter on Saturday.
“The [Covid-19] vaccine has been delivered to all EU countries, ”she said, adding that the rollout would begin on Sunday.
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine was approved by the EU on Dec. 21, amid a winter wave in cases.
The vaccine, which consists of two doses, should be stored at ultra-low temperatures.
Some EU countries started vaccinations a day early, with doses given in Slovakia and Germany on Saturdays.
On Sunday, vaccinations began in Italy, Spain and France, with an emphasis on primary care workers, nursing home residents and the elderly.
In Spain, the first person to receive a dose of the vaccine was a 96-year-old resident of a nursing home. The second was an employee at the same house.
Italy has received 9,750 doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. The first five people to get it on Sunday were front-line workers and researchers.
“We have acted in unity during this pandemic. Today we begin to turn the page of this chapter together,” said the The European Commission said on Twitter.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) continues its ongoing review of other promising vaccine candidates, including those from AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Johnson & Johnson.