US, EU Say Vaccine Programs On Track As Asia Rollouts Gather Steam

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published February 26, 2021 | 02:00 PM

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2021 ) :The United States hailed progress in turning around its troubled Covid-19 vaccine rollout, as the European Union said it was on track to meet jab targets and Asia's inoculation drive gained pace on Friday.

Brazil hit 250,000 fatalities -- the second-highest national death toll after the United States -- while the worldwide vaccine campaign received the endorsement of Queen Elizabeth II, 94, who urged people not to be wary of the shot.

President Joe Biden declared the US rollout is now "weeks ahead of schedule" as he celebrated 50 million doses administered since he took office on January 20, but he warned Americans to keep masking up.

"We're moving in the right direction despite the mess we inherited," Biden said, referring to the program under his predecessor Donald Trump.

The United States is the world's hardest-hit country, with coronavirus deaths crossing the 500,000 mark earlier this week.

Rollouts in Asia also gathered momentum as Hong Kong and South Korea began their mass vaccination programs on Friday.

Both places were among the first to experience outbreaks after the coronavirus spread early last year, but have kept infections comparatively low.

South Korea plans to inoculate 70 percent of its population within seven months while Hong Kong aims to vaccinate all adults by the end of the year.