Latvia approaches EU average Covid-19 vaccination rates The news

Riga, May 14, LETA. Although Latvia still ranks penultimate in the European Union (EU) in terms of the proportion of first-time Covid-19 vaccine recipients in the adult population, it has recently improved significantly and is approaching the EU average, according to data compiled by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). for the period until May 9.

Last week, ECDC reported that 13.9% of adults in Latvia received their first dose, but this week’s report has risen to 19.9%, 8.7 percentage points more than Bulgaria, which still ranks last in the EU.

Proportionally, the highest dose of the first vaccine was used in Malta, where 54.9% of the adult population has already received the first dose, and in Hungary, where the figure is 53.3%. Iceland is in third place, with a figure of 49.7%.

In fourth place is Finland, which has now vaccinated 43.4% of the adult population with the first dose.

Latvia is starting to lag behind the rest of the Baltic States in this indicator, as in Lithuania this indicator has increased from 29.6% to 33.2% during the week, while in Estonia – from 31.3% to 34.6%.

After the second dose, Latvia currently shares the penultimate place with Bulgaria – 5.1% in both countries. Meanwhile, Finland ranks last, with 4.7% of the adult population receiving the second vaccine.

In the Baltic neighboring countries, this indicator is about three times higher – in Lithuania, 16% of adults have already received the second dose, but in Estonia – 14.9%.

Among all EU and EEA countries, the median of the first dose recipients is 34.2% of the adult population, while the median of the second dose is 13.3%.

The ECDC analysis uses data on vaccinated people over the age of 18 and the population of the country over the age of 18. ECDC data are collected and reported with a slight lag, ie the data used in the report are for the period up to 9 May.

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