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At least 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been given in the European Union as of Tuesday (18 May), according to AFP data tallying up official figures given by member states’ health services.
The milestone indicates that the EU should be on track to meet its goal of fully vaccinating 70% of adults — meaning roughly 255 million people out of its total 448 million population — by late July.
As of 0830 GMT, at least 200 million doses have been administered in the EU, according to the AFP data.
At least 52.9 million people have been completely vaccinated, with two doses in the case of the vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, or one dose for those inoculated with the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
That figure amounts to 11.8% of the EU population.
The data showed that Malta was leading the EU table, with 32.5% of its small population fully vaccinated, while Bulgaria was trailing badly, with just 6.1% inoculated.
Of the big EU countries, Germany has 11.1% fully vaccinated, France has 13.5%, Italy has 14.6% and Spain has 15.4%.
Globally, the AFP data showed that 1.5 billion doses have been administered.
By way of comparison with other wealthy territories, Israel has 59% of its population inoculated with two doses, while the United States has 35% fully vaccinated, and Britain has 30% done.
The European Commission, contacted by AFP, did not immediately respond with comment about the vaccination milestone.
It did however say that its vaccine export authorisation mechanism had, between 30 January and 11 May, approved 941 export requests from pharmaceutical companies producing Covid-19 vaccines in the EU and rejected one — a March shipment of 250,000 AstraZeneca doses meant for Australia.
The vaccines exports went to 45 countries and territories, it said, including the United States, Britain, Israel, India, Australia, Canada and Brazil.
The flu epidemic in Bulgaria has already passed its peak, according to Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, former director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Over 300,000 Bulgarians living with cancer were registered in the National Health Information System in 2025, marking an increase of 15,000 cases compared to 2024.
The pediatric surgery department at St. Anna Hospital in Varna will close its doors on March 1 due to resignations from the medical staff. The doctors have indicated that they plan to continue their work at a private medical facility in Burgas.
North Macedonia’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, H.E. Agneza Popovska, presented an award to Sofia’s N. I. Pirogov Hospital in recognition of its efforts in treating the most seriously injured young people following the tragic disco fire in Kočani in March 2025.
A Bulgarian scientist has developed a drug that halts the growth of cancer and prevents metastases from spreading to other organs.
Bulgaria is currently experiencing a flu season that is spreading more moderately than initially anticipated, according to an analysis by Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev,
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