Europe pushes for coronavirus vaccine roll-out as risky holiday season looms

European nations vowed on Dec. 16 to get their coronavirus vaccination campaigns rolling before the end of the year while a surge in infections prompted tighter restrictions across several countries.

Germany will begin vaccinations on December 27, its health minister said, detailing a timeline expected to be mirrored across the European Union's 27 member states.

France said it would receive around 1.16 million vaccine doses by year-end, with a further 2.3 million coming over the next two months.

The vaccination drive cannot come too soon to the embattled continent, which is fast approaching 500,000 deaths from the disease.

Germany saw a record high of 952 deaths in 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) disease control centre Wednesday, a figure that could rise as the hard-hit Saxony region was not included in Tuesday's numbers.

"It feels like a Sunday," said Ines Kumpl, 57, observing the deserted streets of Berlin on the first day of a new partial lockdown. "These measures are necessary but it's stressful."

Denmark, France, Turkey and the Netherlands have all tightened coronavirus restrictions and Spain's prime minister expressed alarm at rising infection numbers there.

"To get to the end of the pandemic, we will need up to 70 percent of the population vaccinated," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told MEPs.

Pressure has been mounting on the bloc since Britain and the United States started their programmes, using a vaccine developed in the EU by Pfizer and BioNTech.

The British government said more than 137,000 people had received a first dose in the week since inoculations began.

The World Health Organization's European wing warned of a resurgence of the virus on...