European countries with insufficient vaccination coverage could be in serious trouble if they relax Covid-19 restrictions in the next few weeks, according to a new report by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
So far, only three of the bloc’s 27 member countries have fully inoculated more than 75 percent of their residents, according to the agency’s data. Just over 62 percent of the bloc’s total population is fully vaccinated, and eastern nations like Romania and Bulgaria are far behind wealthier countries to the west.
That level of vaccine coverage will not be enough to forestall outbreaks when pandemic restrictions are relaxed, the agency warned, especially now that the Delta variant is the bloc’s dominant strain.
Schools: Most children in the bloc have resumed attending school in person, with no coronavirus vaccine authorized yet for children under 12. For this reason, it is especially important for the education system to put preventive measures in place, the report said.
Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.
In other developments:
Several countries in Asia are now on track to surpass the U.S. in fully vaccinating their populations.
Only nine African countries have met a goal of vaccinating 10 percent of their populations by the end of September, the W.H.O. said.