Prognosis
Vaccines Start to Outstrip Demand in EU’s East. That’s a Worry
Hesitancy at getting a Covid-19 shot is jeopardizing the continent's herd immunity goal.
A medical worker waits for patients next to a sign for social distancing measures at a vaccination center in Ventspils, Latvia.
Photographer: Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images
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Supplies of Covid-19 vaccines are beginning to outstrip demand in the European Union’s east — a phenomenon that may concern western member states whose citizens are wary of inoculation.
Some parts of the region are hitting a wall at a relatively early stage in their campaigns amid safety fears over AstraZeneca’s shot, longstanding distrust of the authorities, fake news stories, and a lack of education on the benefits of the injection and the dangers of the virus itself.