Tropical diseases

EU leaders have agreed to introduce vaccine passports by the summer in a boost to Britons planning holidays on Europe's beaches.

European leaders are looking for ways to step up their inoculation drives in talks on Thursday, with the 27 member states lagging behind countries like Israel and Britain in the vaccination race against Covid-19.

A certificate of immunization against Covid-19 can be obtained after a second dose of the vaccine is administered, the Ministry of Health informs.

The World Health Organization has alerted six countries to watch out for potential Ebola cases after fresh outbreaks in Guinea and Democratic Republic of Congo, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Officials in Brussels are reportedly concerned about an agreement signed between Greece and Israel earlier this month to facilitate travel between the two tourism-dependent countries for people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Copenhagen on Feb. 6 night to protest Denmark's COVID-19 restrictions and the country's plans for a digital vaccination certificate.

Organised by a group calling itself "Men in Black Denmark," some 600 people gathered in the bitter cold in front of the parliament building to protest the "dictatorship" of Denmark's partial lockdown.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his call for an EU-wide vaccination certificate that would simplify travel across the bloc, noting the importance of setting it up ahead of this year's summer season.

European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas on Tuesday stressed the benefits of vaccination certificates amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying they are of "utmost importance," and indicated that such an initiative may be approved by the end of January.

Ljubljana – Andrej Šter, the head of the Foreign Ministry’s consular service, told the STA in an interview that vaccination brought hope that coronavirus restrictions to travelling could be gradually eased. He believes a unified vaccination certificate will be required to restore travelling within the EU.

"The vaccination certificate will not be a precondition for somebody to travel to Greece," Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis said on Thursday. He added that the relevant proposal by Prime Minister Kyrikaos Mitsotakis to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was aiming to stir the waters so that the European Union coordinates on this issue.