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Von der Leyen: It is time for the EU to consider compulsory vaccination

LAST UPDATE 16:09

The president of the Commission was positive in starting a “debate” on compulsory vaccination at EU level. The introduction of compulsory vaccination requires a common approach and discussions need to take place, Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference.

More specifically, the head of the Commission noted that “it is time for the European Union to consider the issue of compulsory vaccination”. “It’s a debate that I think needs to take place,” he added.

According to the president of the Commission, the scientific community will need “100 days” to adapt its vaccination response to the new Omicron variant.

Production of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against Covid for children will be accelerated and the doses will be available in the European Union on December 13, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced.

The President of the Commission explained that this information comes from the pharmaceutical company that produces the most widely used vaccine among the 27 EU member states.

“I spoke to BioNTech / Pfizer about vaccines for children and I had good news yesterday,” he added.

“They have the potential to speed up production. In other words, the vaccines for children will be available from December 13,” he said.

Kyriakidou: Urgent need for vaccination

For her part, the Commissioner in charge of health issues, Stella Kyriakidou stated that “the appearance of the” Omicron “variant intensifies the urgent need to vaccinate and strengthen our immunity, in order to break the transmission chains”. He added that, where necessary, effective public health measures should be put in place, including social distancing and masks.

The Commission notes in its communication that the increase in serious cases of covid-19 disease, especially among the unvaccinated, has led to enormous pressure on hospitals and healthcare staff, which is already on the verge of collapse. This also has a direct impact on the health of patients who have not been infected with covid, as access to health care for other conditions is significantly burdened by the need to treat patients with COVID-19.

In particular, the Commission proposes to the Member States decisive and urgent action, including:

– Continue to implement a common strategy to limit the entry of the Omicron variant into the EU, with regular, daily reviews of key travel restrictions.

– Carry out renewed campaigns targeting unvaccinated individuals of all eligible age groups, with targeted national strategies to address vaccination caution

– Provide prompt doses to maintain strong levels of protection against the virus, including the Omicron variant, starting with the most vulnerable groups

– The appearance of the Omicron variant means that special attention should be paid to the implementation and notification of specific contact measures during the end-of-year period

– Apply the revised approach to free movement with a standard 9-month period of validity under the EU digital covid certificate.

– The EU and the Member States should step up the efforts of the Europe Group on vaccine sharing to achieve the vaccination target of 70% of the world’s population in 2022, agreed at the G20 Summit in October 2021.

Finally, the Commission will intensify its efforts to produce, approve and co-supply covid-19 therapies. By the end of 2021, the European Parliament and the Council will have to approve the proposals for the European Health Union and the Emergency Response and Emergency Management Authority (HERA) regulation.

* Israel: Indications that fully vaccinated are also protected by Omicron

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Source From: Capital

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