The EU sees almost immunity to the virus at the end of June, despite Astra’s doubts

Photographer: Alex Kraus / Bloomberg

The European Commission has told governments that the launch of the Covid vaccine may reach an important target sooner than expected, under new projections that depend on people’s acceptance. Shot from AstraZeneca Plc.

O The European Union’s executive arm says most member states will have enough vaccine supplies to immunize most people by the end of June, according to a memo distributed to national delegations in Brussels.

Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands will be able to fully inoculate more than 55% of their total population, according to the document seen by Bloomberg. The EU has already said it wants to immunize 70% of adults by the end of the summer, which – depending on the demographics of each member state – corresponds to around 55-60% of the total population.

Projections indicate growing confidence in Brussels that the vaccination campaign will improve after a disastrous start dominated by delays, contradictory messages and political struggles.

But uncertainty about the Astra vaccine could obscure the picture. The European Medicines Agency, the EU’s drug regulator, may indicate a potential link between the pharmacist’s injections and rare cases of blood clots, Messaggero daily reported on Tuesday, citing Marco Cavalieri, chairman of the EMA vaccine evaluation team. The UK drug regulator is also being urged to change its guidelines on the use of the vaccine in younger people, Channel 4 News report.

Reports of side effects of the Astra dose have already led to its temporary suspension in some EU countries last month. Although use has resumed, some governments are restricting it to certain age groups.

Vaccination centers in France said that several people eligible to be vaccinated were reluctant to have an injection of Astra, even canceling their appointments. The latest setback with Astra vaccines could prolong blockages even further, with countries across the continent struggling to contain a third wave of infections.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party leader reinforced his call for strict, short-term restrictions to stem the resurgence of the outbreak in the country. A two to three-week stoppage is needed to keep Germany’s incidence rate under control, said Armin Laschet. Tuesday.

The EU’s forecast document, dated April 1, details the exact number of doses that will be available to each government by the end of June. Although the overall picture is positive, some Member States, including Austria, Croatia and the Czech Republic, are projected to be left behind. Others, such as Denmark and Malta, will reach the immunity limit much sooner.

The estimates seen by Bloomberg include an agreement last week to redistribute part of an accelerated batch of deliveries to countries where supplies are in short supply.