Time To Think About Mandatory Vaccination Against Covid-19: European Commission Chief

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the world was in a 'race against time' to understand the new Covid variant and, if needed, modify vaccines to counter it.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference on the Global Gateway at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on December 01, 2021. | AFP

New Delhi: Amid the threat of highly transmissible Omicron Covid-19 variant, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said it Was time for the European Union to "think about mandatory vaccination" against coronavirus.

Leyen said the issue "needs discussion" and a "common approach" among member state governments. 

“How can we encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the European Union? This needs discussion. This needs a common approach. But it is a discussion that I think has to be led,” news agency AFP quoted Leyen as saying.

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Underscoring that a third of the European Union population was still unvaccinated, she said, "My personal position is…I think it is still understandable and appropriate to lead this discussion now."

The European Commission chief had on Sunday urged all to take precautions and give time to the scientists to understand the Omicron strain. She said the world was in a “race against time” to understand the new Covid variant and, if needed, modify vaccines to counter it.

“The scientists and manufacturers need two to three weeks to have a full picture about the quality of the mutations of this Omicron variant,” she added.

The European Commission chief said that a contract struck in the summer by the European Commission with BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 billion vaccine doses included a clause in case of an “escape variant” -- a strain that can evade vaccine immunity.

She added a clause in the contract states "that if a variant turns into an escape variant... BioNTech-Pfizer is able to adapt its vaccine within 100 days".