PARIS: The EU countries on Sunday embarked on a vaccination campaign to defeat the “nightmare” of Covid-19, with the first to be immunised expressing emotions after their jabs and leaders hailing a milestone in the fight against the pandemic.
The vaccine is a glimmer of hope for a continent yearning for a return to normal from a pandemic that has killed 1.76 million people worldwide since emerging in China late last year and caused at least 80 million confirmed cases, according to a tally.
But polls have shown many Europeans are unwilling to take the vaccine, which could impede its effectiveness in beating the virus, while it will take months for large chunks of the population to be immunised.