EU Provides About $16Mln For Six Member States To Transport COVID Equipment

EU Provides About $16Mln for Six Member States to Transport COVID Equipment

The European Union Commission announced on Friday it supported six member states with an estimated 14 million euros ($16 million) to transport COVID-19 vaccination-related equipment and COVID-19 therapeutics under the mobility package of the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) The European Union Commission announced on Friday it supported six member states with an estimated 14 million Euros ($16 million) to transport COVID-19 vaccination-related equipment and COVID-19 therapeutics under the mobility package of the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI).

The bloc sponsored over 1,000 flights and 500 deliveries in the ESI mobility package which financed delivery of intensive-care drugs to Belgium and syringes to Italy. Austria, Czechia, Romania, and Slovenia are the other EU beneficiaries.

ESI is one of the tools used in providing support to countries requesting assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. Through the mechanism, the EU assists in coordinating and financing the delivery of vaccines, medical and protective equipment, and other material across Europe.

It also complements the national efforts of the member states.

In the first batch of shipment funding between April and September 2020, ESI made 150 million euros available to 18 member states and the UK to transport essential medical items. By the end of June 2021, 1.15 million euros were awarded to transport 293 medical personnel and 35 patients.

The EU is mobilizing resources to combat the coronavirus among member states. As of July 27, the bloc has achieved its target of vaccinating 70% of its adult population with at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. In addition, about 57% of adults now have the complete protection of double vaccination.

So far, the commission has secured up to 4.4 billion doses of vaccines and an estimated 520 million doses have been delivered to the EU.