The European Union (EU) launched the first phase of its mass vaccination program on Sunday, with doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine distributed to all 27 member states.
The commercial bloc faces a major logistical challenge, as vaccines are launched as a new variant of Covid-19 spreads across several countries.
“Today, we are starting to turn the page in a difficult year,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday on Twitter.
“O [Covid-19] the vaccine was delivered to all EU countries, “she said, adding that the launch would start on Sunday.
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine was authorized by the EU on December 21, amid a spike in winter cases.
The vaccine, which consists of two doses, needs to be stored at ultra-low temperatures.
Some EU countries started vaccinating the day before, with doses given in Slovakia and Germany on Saturday.
On Sunday, vaccination started in Italy, Spain and France, focusing on frontline health professionals, nursing home residents and the elderly.
In Spain, the first person to receive a dose of the vaccine was a 96-year-old resident in an asylum. The second was an employee of the same household.
Italy received 9,750 doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. The first five people to receive him on Sunday were frontline doctors and researchers.
“We have been acting in unity throughout this pandemic. Today we start to turn the page of this chapter together, ”the European Commission said on Twitter.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is continuing its review of other promising vaccine candidates, including those from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and Johnson & Johnson.