Vaccination has plateaued in some eastern EU states
Recent slowdown in vaccination rates in parts of eastern EU could signal problems ahead for protecting populations fully
Source: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Outlook
Ireland leads the EU for vaccinations, week after week maintaining a steady pace, and only decelerating now as it nears the finish. Bringing up the rear are all eleven eastern member states (EU-11).
Those of the EU-11 that are showing a sustained effort seem likely to finish well -- the three Baltic states and Slovenia. Those that got off to a good start, but have slowed markedly since -- Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and (particularly) Hungary -- may find it hard to complete the course. Bulgaria and Romania may be laggards but have put on a late spurt.
Impacts
- Low vaccination rates correlate with high death rates per million, which are highest in the EU in Bulgaria (22.8) and Romania (21.1).
- Stagnating vaccination rates may indicate low trust in the authorities and widespread disinformation.
- Ireland, Malta and Portugal, by contrast, show that it is possible to achieve vaccination rates of more than 90%.
- Recent efforts in Romania and Bulgaria to make it easier to get a jab or make daily life harder for the unvaccinated may boost take-up.
See also
- High inflation will curb Baltic growth rates in 2022 - May 23, 2022
- Better-run Central-East European states may jab more - Jan 18, 2022
- Internal contradictions will dog Bulgarian coalition - Jan 6, 2022
- Virus will complicate Central Europe’s policy dilemmas - Nov 29, 2021
- Prospects for COVID-19 in 2022 - Nov 24, 2021
- Prospects for Central-Eastern Europe in 2022 - Nov 23, 2021
- Inflationary expectations threaten eastern EU recovery - Nov 15, 2021
- Local conditions hamper eastern EU’s pandemic measures - Oct 21, 2021
- Greek government will be firmer on COVID vaccination - Oct 15, 2021
- More graphic analysis