Xinhua
16 Sep 2021, 00:14 GMT+10
Von der Leyen promised an additional 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be donated by mid-2022, on top of a previous commitment of 250 million doses. Moreover, one billion euros (1.18 billion U.S. dollars) will be invested in production capacity for mRNA vaccines in Africa.
BRUSSELS, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Vaccination efforts in the European Union (EU) and outside should continue so that "this does not turn into a pandemic of the unvaccinated," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
Von der Leyen made the remarks at her second State of the Union speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. She said that despite more than 70 percent of the EU's adult population being fully vaccinated, discrepancies between countries within the bloc persist.
"We see worrisome divergences in vaccination rates in our Union," said von der Leyen, adding that vaccination efforts must also continue outside of the bloc, especially in low-income countries, as less than one percent of global doses are administered in these countries.
She promised an additional 200 million doses to be donated by mid-2022, on top of a previous commitment of 250 million doses. Moreover, one billion euros (1.18 billion U.S. dollars) will be invested in production capacity for mRNA vaccines in Africa.
The EU is also improving its pandemic preparedness with the proposal of HERA (the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority). It will get 50 billion euros (59.11 billion U.S. dollars) by 2027, said von der Leyen.
The EU provided its population with 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and the same amount of doses were exported to more than 130 countries and regions around the world.
The bloc supported its economy during the pandemic with the SURE (Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency) instrument, which provided financial support to workers and companies. Thanks to the SURE, the economies of 19 countries should be back to pre-pandemic levels this year, and the rest should follow next year, said von der Leyen.
Get a daily dose of Afghanistan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Afghanistan Sun.
More InformationTHE VATICAN - The world is in shock and mourning on Easter Monday as it woke to the news that Pope Francis had died. Having recently...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: A former New York City police sergeant, Michael McMahon, was sentenced this week to 1.5 years in prison. He...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered a stop to construction of Equinor's Empire Wind project off New York's...
SINGAPORE: Amid rising trade tensions, several Asian nations are stepping up energy purchases from the U.S. in hopes of easing tariff...
WASHINGTON DC - In a bid to combat illegal border crossings, the Trump Administration has enacted an emergency transfer of some 110,000...
More than 200 journalists and news photographers, together with family members, have been killed in Gaza in the last 16 months. Despite...
The US president is reportedly not interested in informal diplomatic contact with China on trade US President Donald Trump has stifled...
With the latest data, we now understand the vital link between gender, social equity and climate change, and recognize that without...
(250421) -- GULBAHAR, April 21, 2025 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on April 16, 2025 shows the ruins of former Afghan Textile Gulbahar...
SHARJAH, 21st April, 2025 (WAM) -- Dr. Firdavs Abdulkhalikov, Director of the Centre of Islamic Civilisation in Uzbekistan, gifted...
BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will pay a state...
Karachi [Pakistan], April 20 (ANI): Islamabad United and Australian all-rounder Matthew Short has been ruled out for the remainder...