© AFP
Luxembourg received its first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Saturday as the EU begins its vaccination campaign against Covid-19.
A total of 9,700 doses will be delivered to the Grand Duchy in the first phase of the vaccine rollout, allowing 4,850 people to be able to get vaccinated as every individual must receive two doses of the Pfizer jab.
The Grand Duchy's vaccination campaign officially starts in Hall Victor Hugo in Limpertsberg on Monday. Over a three-day period, 430 healthcare professionals from hospitals and nursery homes will be vaccinated per day. The vaccination centre will then close its doors again until 18 January, when those involved will receive their second dose.
Countries around Europe are preparing to roll out their first coronavirus vaccines even as a reputedly more contagious variant spreads around the world, forcing some nations back into lockdown.
The impending inoculation campaigns have boosted hopes that 2021 could bring a respite from the pandemic, which has killed more than 1.7 million people since emerging in China late last year.
First doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in EU countries including hard-hit Italy, Spain and France early on Saturday, ready for distribution to retirement homes and care staff.
In anticipation of the first Covid-19 vaccinations within the European Union, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen expressed her hope that 2021 will mark a return to normality.
In a video posted to her Twitter account, von der Leyen said that once enough people have been vaccinated, it will be possible to start traveling again, meet friends and family, and spend holidays in a normal way. However, until then, she stresses, people need to remain cautious.
