COVID-19 vaccines for the European region: an unprecedented challenge

Abstract

Almost 4 months have passed since the first COVID-19 vaccines became available in the European region of WHO. As vaccination programmes roll-out across the region, at a time when COVID-19 cases are increasing in some European countries,1 it is a good time to consider the challenges ahead and what can be done to address them. There have been questions about the speed with which COVID-19 vaccines were authorised for use in Europe, about the timetable for supplying vaccines to some countries in the region, and about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in some countries.