Brussels sent a warning to member states: Urgent action must be taken to speed up coronavirus vaccines

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakites said there was a risk people were not paying enough attention during the summer months and that while the public was understandably “fatigued” by the pandemic, health departments needed to do more to prepare for widespread outbreaks.

We must increase vaccination rates, expand vaccine coverage and ensure health systems are prepared to deal with future waves.

He said in an interview.

I am concerned that vaccinations have been discontinued in recent months and we have seen that contact tracing and testing have not been aggressive.

The paper recalls that negotiations between the EU, Member States and BioNTech/Pfizer Due to the backlog of vaccines, some deliveries will be postponed until 2024. And the project received initial support from companies and Brussels.

The current contract runs until 2023. Some deliveries of the Moderna may be pushed to the first months of next yearAlthough the deal is only for 2022.

In a letter, Kyriakides warned the EU’s health ministers about the “worrying rise” of the disease in the EU. Among other things, rates of serious illness and hospital and intensive care admissions rose, and the bloc was urged to do more to prepare for what could be a harsh autumn and winter.

However, he clarified that the slow pace of vaccination campaigns in the short period before the cold and flu season was a major concern.

In early July, European health agencies recommended extending eligibility for a second booster shot of the Covid vaccine to the over-60s as more infections increase hospitalizations across the continent. Despite the advice, less than 65 percent of adults in the EU were vaccinated, while nearly 15 percent were not.

According to Kyriakides People over 60 and vulnerable groups should get an extra reminder right away, must be protected against the developing tide. Asked whether he believed the EU needed newly adapted vaccines for the latest variants causing infections, Kiriakides insisted that existing vaccines would still be effective against the virus currently circulating.

According to the commissioner, the slow pace of vaccinations is partly to blame Citizens await the arrival of vaccines suitable for new strainsIt may be licensed in September.

However, individuals should instead be vaccinated “as soon as possible” with current vaccines. Our related article on 18.08.2022. Coronavirus: According to NNK, the Hungarian government has no direct contract for additional vaccines 15/08/2022 New super vaccine approved for adults, fight against coronavirus ramps up 15/08/2022 Zabolcs Dobson expressed a firm opinion on whether a fourth vaccine is needed in the new wave of epidemics. 19/07/2022 EU may get new coronavirus vaccines later

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