In the best-case scenario, the first deliveries of coronavirus vaccines to the European Union could start in April, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a press conference on Wednesday.
"The big numbers of supplies are due to start in April," von der Leyen told reporters, adding that companies could deliver 20 to 50 million doses per month to the EU "in the best-case scenario."
The #COVID19 situation is very serious. But we can slow down the spread of the virus if everyone takes responsibility. We have learnt from the 1st wave. Today we’re stepping up our common response.https://t.co/xAFxBWxEMk
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 28, 2020
If different vaccines are successful, the EU could vaccinate about 700 million people, according to von der Leyen's estimate. "This is more than is necessary for the European Union," she said.
The 27 EU member states combined have an estimated total population of about 447 million inhabitants.
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"These doses would then also include our donations to low and middle-income countries," she added.
In what von der Leyen called "the extreme best-case scenario," - which is when every candidate vaccine is successful - the EU would have about 1.2 billion doses of vaccines over the course of 2021, adding that "we know that not every candidate will be a success, however."
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
