European Union calls for increased dosage to fortify Covid transmission as infections increase

Covid In Europe: The European Union may update its Covid certificates amid rising infections. (File)

Brussels:

The EU Commission on Thursday recommended that the bloc’s vaccination certificate, which allows Europeans vaccinated against Covid to travel freely, is valid only for nine months after the second dose.

The EU is looking to update its Covid certificate to make travel within the bloc easier as the rise in covid cases raises fears that cross-border movement could be threatened again.

EU Commissioner Didier Reynders said in a press conference: “We propose a validity period of nine months for the European anti-counterfeiting certificate and after this period its validity will no longer be valid. recognized if there is no booster dose”.

This phase takes into account the European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) guidelines for booster doses after six months and is extended by three months to give countries time to adjust vaccination campaigns. strains, Reynders added.

The EU’s covid certificate is seen as a success story in keeping cross-border travel open to vaccinated Europeans, providing a much-needed boost to the pandemic-hit economy. especially in the tourism industry.

The certificate, backed by legislation approved by the European Parliament, came into force in July and allows pregnant people traveling within the European Union to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated, have had a recent negative Covid test or have recovered from coronavirus.

Its use has helped European summer destinations like Greece bounce back, and several other non-EU countries, including the UK, have also joined the system.

However, a surge in case numbers in some EU countries as winter pushes people indoors has prompted some governments to start tightening restrictions again.

Austria bans nationwide, the Netherlands bans bars and Germany is ready to announce new measures.

Several countries, including Greece, France and Germany, are moving towards requiring a third booster shot for someone deemed fully immunized, with clear evidence that the effectiveness of Current injections will decrease after four or five months.

At the EU level, however, that would leave some member states, mainly the eastern part, exposed to the cold, given their relatively low vaccination rates for even one or two doses.

The EU executive body’s recommendation needs to be approved by member states as well as by the European Parliament.

“It’s a new recommendation, we’ll see how member states react,” Reynders said.

The issue is expected to be one of the main issues to be addressed at the EU summit scheduled for December 16-17.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)