CNN reported that, according to vaccination data from Our World Data, more than a year after the first infection reported in China, at least 127 countries and territories around the world have vaccinated more than 6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
European countries are among the countries with the fastest vaccination implementation rate in the world, currently covering the majority of the population. More than 72% of adults in the European Union (EU) are fully vaccinated. The EU Food Safety Authority is also considering a decision on the additional dosage of Pfizer vaccine in October.
Ireland
With the most successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Europe, the Irish Prime Minister has announced that he will remove most of all COVID-19 restrictions from next October, Reuters reported.
Accordingly, from October 22, Irish people will not need to present vaccination certificates to enter bars and restaurants. Limitations on the number of people attending indoor and outdoor events will also be lifted.
As part of the plan to lift restrictions at each stage, the Irish government has encouraged restaurants and cinemas to open to operate at 60% capacity while non-essential workers are also allowed to return to work from September 20.
Nearly 90% of adults in Ireland have been fully vaccinated, while the rate for those aged 12 and over is 80%.
Ireland is one of the countries with the longest COVID-19 lockdown in Europe. Outdoor dining activities at cafes, bars and restaurants have been banned for 16 months until July 2021, when the government allowed them to open to serve customers with COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
Although optimistic about the pandemic situation, the Irish Prime Minister still issued a cautious note, warning of the risk of increasing infections in this country. He said that it is difficult to completely eliminate the virus.
Spain
Spain has the top vaccination rate in Europe, reaching 77.7% of the total population of 47 million people, according to Our World Data.
Previously, according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, 90% of people over 40 years old had been vaccinated with two doses, while about 70% of adolescents, aged 20-29 and 12-19, had been vaccinated with at least one dose.
Spain is seeing an incredibly fast economic recovery in the third quarter of this year, despite being one of the countries hardest hit by the first pandemic in 2020. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently said that this will be the group's 4th fastest growing economy in 2021, with a rate of 6.8%. The Spanish government is working to return economic activity to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021.
Experts say that easing COVID-19 restrictions in the summer, increased domestic demand as well as a partial recovery of the tourism industry, including the return of a large number of foreign tourists, have contributed to bringing brighter prospects to Spain.
Norway
With around 67% of Norway's population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 76% of which have received at least one dose, Norway has reopened since September 25, ending all COVID-19 restrictions that have reduced social interaction and hindered business operations.
Speaking at a press conference, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said: "It has been 561 days since we introduced the toughest measures in Norway in peacetime... Now is the time to return to normal life."
Prime Minister Solberg announced that COVID-19 restrictions will officially end from 4:00 p.m. on September 25 local time. This means that cultural and sports facilities are operating at full capacity, restaurants can serve fully and nightclubs are also reopening.
Previously, Norway had implemented the first three phases of a four-step plan to remove economic and social restrictions imposed since March 2020 to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the final stage has been delayed many times due to the spread of the epidemic.
In short, we can now live normally, Solberg said.
