EU hits milestone of 70% adults fully vaccinated, some states lag behind

Brussels, Aug 31 (EFE).- The European Union reached a milestone Tuesday with 70% of its adult population fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Over 256 million adults in the EU have received a full vaccine course, meeting the delivery target ahead of time, according to the European Commission.

“The full vaccination of 70% of adults in the EU already in August is a great achievement,” the Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.

“But the pandemic is not over. We need more. I call on everyone who can to get vaccinated,” she added.

Although the EU has hit its target, vaccination rates among member states vary widely with some countries lagging behind.

Countries like the Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Portugal are leading the pack with over 80% of their adult population having received the full course of the vaccine.

Spain is also among the more advanced countries with 76.6% of its adult population covered.

But countries like the Baltic nation of Latvia and Eastern Europe’s Bulgaria and Romania are at the bottom of the list with less than half of their adult population fully vaccinated.

Although many member states have not yet reached the 70% mark, the EU is already mulling the possibility of issuing booster shots.

The European Medicines Agency has not yet made a decision on whether it will be necessary.EFE

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