The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The German politician is 62 years old and therefore at a greater risk of severe illness from contracting the virus.
In a post on her Twitter she said: “After we passed 100 million vaccinations in the EU, I’m very glad I got my first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine today.
"Vaccinations will further gather pace, as deliveries are accelerating in the EU. The swifter we vaccinate, the sooner we can control the pandemic."
After we passed 100 million vaccinations in the EU, I’m very glad I got my first shot of #COVID19 vaccine today.
Vaccinations will further gather pace, as deliveries are accelerating in the EU.
The swifter we vaccinate, the sooner we can control the pandemic. #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/ZmbjlmFOn4— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 15, 2021
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The news comes after she announced yesterday the EU's plans to negotiate a massive contract extension for Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine, saying the bloc had to go with companies that had shown their value in the pandemic.
“We need to focus on technologies that have proven their worth,” said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
She also announced that America’s Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech would provide the EU with an extra 50 million doses in the second quarter of this year, making up for faltering deliveries of AstraZeneca.
Exacerbating the problems for AstraZeneca, Denmark decided on Wednesday not to resume use of its vaccine, after putting it on hold last month following reports of rare blood clots in some recipients.
The bulk of the shots given in the Scandinavian country so far have been the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
The Johnson & Johnson jab, which uses the same base technology as AstraZeneca, hit a snag this week when US regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson jabs.
