EU countries may not start vaccinations at the same time

Some EU countries do not plan on starting vaccination programmes together, despite European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisting on otherwise.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday promised EU countries will start their coronavirus vaccination programs together later this month. Vaccination days across the EU were supposed to start December 27, 28 and 29.

But Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told local media Thursday that Denmark would go ahead as soon as the vaccine arrives: “Even though I am a big supporter of coordination at European level, the vaccine must be run out and distributed the moment it hits Danish soil,” she said.

The Netherlands, by contrast, said it only plans to start vaccinating on January 8 due to issues getting the nation’s registration system ready.

“What is important is that all Europeans would have access to the vaccine on the same day,” Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas told Euronews on Wednesday. “Then, national vaccination plans would start to kick in and then each member state will organize their own national procedures.”

The announcement by the Dutch government on Thursday that it would begin vaccinating January 8 prompted an emergency parliament hearing to debate why the country lags behind its neighbors.

Other countries, such as Hungary, have yet to publicly announce their vaccination plans.