Germany praises britain’s successful coronavirus vaccine rollout

German tabloid Bild wrote on its front page: “Dear Brits, we envy you!” The paper moaned about being stuck in lockdown and said the UK’s vaccine rollout means we are “just plain happy”. They

added: “The English have announced their return to normality on June 21 . . . and here there’s no hope.” The paper also claimed that Britons have “reacted with overwhelming euphoria” to

Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown. So far the UK has vaccinated more than 18 million people – about 28 percent of the country’s population. However, the whole of the EU, made up of 27

member states, has only managed to inoculate 28 million. This is about six percent of the EU’s 446 million population. French President Emmanuel Macron previously blasted the

Oxford/AstraZeneca jab as “quasi-ineffective on people older than 65, some say those 60 years or older”. However, earlier this week European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said

she would happily receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. Her comments came amid concerns that remarks from top European officials, including President Macron, had slowed take-up of the jab in the

EU. The AstraZeneca vaccine is one of only three jabs currently approved across the EU. READ MORE: GRANT SHAPPS BECOMES FIRST CABINET MINISTER TO RECEIVE COVID JAB But Ms Von der Leyen has

suggested that the EU is now “catching up” with the UK. She said: "We're catching up. Britain has administered 17 million first doses. "There are 27 million in the EU. “In

Italy, with a population similar to that of Great Britain, twice as many citizens received full vaccination protection with the second dose as in the UK.” The Commission President added:

"I think it's risky to simply postpone the second vaccination. “We should adhere to the specifications that the manufacturers determined in their extensive clinical tests."