All 27 EU member states, including Malta, will begin inoculating its populations against COVID-19 on the same day, EU Commissioner President Usula von der Leyen said on Twitter.

The decision is meant to reflect solidarity across all EU members.

To end the pandemic, we need up to 70% of the population vaccinated.

This is a huge task. So let’s start rapidly with the vaccination together, as 27, on the same day.

As we have been united through the pandemic, we will get out of it together & united. pic.twitter.com/bpFpkjUuGR

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 16, 2020

“As we have been united through the pandemic, we will get out of it together & united,” she said.

The EU has yet to approve a COVID-19 vaccine but reports indicate that its drug regulator is set to make a decision on whether the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine is safe on 21st December.

Doing so will instigate the process of distributing the vaccine to all 27 member states.

The United Kingdom began distributing the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine to its population last week. In the United States, the same vaccine started rolling out to high-risk healthcare workers yesterday.

Malta is set to receive 1.6 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine including BioNTech-Pfizer and five other jabs secured by the EU.

Healthcare workers, elderly care home staff and residents, mental care home staff and residents and everyone over 85 will be the first to receive the vaccine in January. The second batch will include everyone over 80 and all other front-liners and the third batch will include everyone suffering from chronic illnesses, everyone over 70 and school and childcare centre workers.

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