Half of the population of the European Union has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to an AFP tally, putting it ahead of the United States in the inoculation drive.
Nearly 224 million people across the 27 member states have been covered, with Spain leading the pack of larger countries with 58.3 per cent of its population vaccinated, followed by Italy (54.4pc), France (52.9pc) and Germany (52.2pc).
The figures mean Europe has now nosed ahead of the US in the vaccine drive.
Some 49.7pc of the US population are fully vaccinated, but take-up is slowing particularly in the conservative states of the South and Midwest.
