(VOVWORLD) - European nations vowed on Wednesday to get their coronavirus vaccination campaigns rolling before the end of the year while a surge of infections prompted tighter restrictions across several countries.
 (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Germany will begin vaccinations on December 27, its health minister said, detailing a timeline expected to be mirrored across the European Union’s 27 member states. France said it would receive around 1.16 million vaccine doses by year-end, with a further 2.3 million coming over the next two months.
The vaccination drive cannot come too soon for the embattled continent, which is fast approaching 500,000 deaths from the disease.
Germany saw a record high of 952 deaths in 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) disease control centre Wednesday, a figure that could rise as the hard-hit Saxony region was not included in Tuesday’s numbers.
Denmark, France, Turkey and the Netherlands have all tightened coronavirus restrictions and Spain’s prime minister expressed alarm at rising infection numbers there.
The British government said more than 137,000 people had received a first dose in the week since inoculations began.