The Buzz | European Union declares vaccination campaign a success

A top European Union official is declaring the bloc’s COVID-19 vaccination drive a success after its much-criticized slow start.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive Commission, proclaimed in comments broadcast yesterday that “we are the only region in the world that has managed both to supply our own population and to share fairly with others.” She touted the EU’s role as the world’s leading exporter of vaccines.
Von der Leyen told an event organized by Germany’s WDR public television that, by the end of this week, 260 million doses of vaccine will have been delivered in Europe. She acknowledged that countries such as the U.S. and U.K. were faster to start with, but said “that has been put into perspective over time.”
She said: “Yes, there was a lot of criticism of the European Union at the beginning. What counts in the end is that the European Union reliably delivers vaccines to its 450 million citizens day by day, and that we can say we got there together as a community. Measured by that, our European vaccination campaign is a success.”