BERLIN -- The European Union has ramped up its covid-19 vaccination efforts, with the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine this week adding to the momentum amid doggedly high infection rates on the continent.
The EU's vaccine drive still lags far behind that of Britain or the United States. Only about 1 in 5 of the bloc's 450 million inhabitants have received their first shot -- approximately half the U.S. share. But European officials say they have turned the corner.
"In the first quarter of 2021 only 10% of Germans were able to receive a first vaccination due to the shortage of vaccine," German Health Minister Jens Spahn said this week. "We achieved the next 10% in just three weeks."
France celebrated several vaccine milestones recently, including dispensing at least one dose to practically 100% of the country's 700,000 nursing home residents.
Italy, the Netherlands and other countries are pressing ahead with plans to begin dispensing the Johnson & Johnson shot, or are already doing so, after the EU's drug regulatory agency Tuesday gave the green light for its use amid concerns over a rare type of blood clot seen in an extremely small number of recipients in the U.S.
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"The numbers now are encouraging," said Manfred Weber, a German member of the European Parliament, adding that the EU should be able to offer every citizen a vaccine by the end of the summer.
"If that works out, then I believe many Europeans will say, 'OK, it was a bumpy ride, and things didn't work out at the start. But in the end we Europeans will be the first continent to be fully vaccinated,'" he said.
The uptick comes as countries across Europe grapple with a rise in infections that has pushed the EU's overall number of coronavirus cases close to 30 million, while deaths recently passed 660,000, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Hospitals in many European countries are again under strain, treating increasingly younger patients with severe covid-19 as older age groups benefit from the vaccinations.
Officials have said more contagious variants of the virus now dominate, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel warning recently: "We basically have a new pandemic."
Merkel said Wednesday that the EU's decision to jointly purchase vaccines for all its 27 members -- fiercely criticized in some quarters as an abdication of national responsibility -- had prevented "a brutal competition by larger, stronger and perhaps richer countries against smaller ones."
"There would have been enormous potential for destruction" within the EU, she said.
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With stubbornly high numbers of new infections, EU member nations are taking a range of approaches to curb the virus's spread while waiting for vaccinations to reach a critical threshold.
German lawmakers Wednesday approved uniform "emergency brake" restrictions for when the virus is spreading too quickly, replacing a patchwork of measures across Germany's 16 states.
Areas where there are more than 100 weekly new cases per 100,000 residents will face a curfew, stricter limits on person-to-person contact and the closing of stores, museums and sports facilities.
Thousands protested against the plan outside the Reichstag building in Berlin.
France announced Wednesday that it will impose new entry restrictions on travelers from India. The restrictions come in addition to those previously announced regarding four other countries -- Brazil, Argentina, Chile and South Africa -- that will be implemented starting from Saturday.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal also confirmed that France will lift its ban on domestic travel as planned on May 3, but will maintain its nighttime curfew, now in place from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Nonessential shops, closed since the partial lockdown of the country at the beginning of April, won't reopen before mid-May, he said.
Other countries gave in to demands to ease pandemic restrictions amid growing lockdown fatigue.
Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday that a curfew will be lifted next week and bars and cafes will be allowed to reopen outdoor terraces in the afternoons for the first time since mid-October.
In Italy, schools can reopen for full-time, in-person learning and restaurants and bars can open for sit-down, outdoor service starting Monday in all but the highest-risk zones.
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Meanwhile, Japan's government is preparing to announce a third state of emergency in Tokyo and the western metropolitan area around Osaka following requests from local leaders who say current measures are failing to curb a rapid rise in coronavirus infections.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and key ministers met late Wednesday to discuss details before deciding on a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and neighboring Kyoto and Hyogo expected later this week.
Osaka, the worst-hit area in the latest upsurge beginning in March, reported 1,242 new cases Wednesday, a new high for the prefecture and exceeding Tokyo's 843.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura on Tuesday said the current focus on shorter hours at bars and restaurants is not effective and requested a state of emergency that would allow him to issue tougher measures, including business shutdown orders.
Kyoto and Hyogo requested a renewed emergency Wednesday, and Tokyo is expected to follow suit.
Information for this article was contributed by Sylvie Corbet, John Leicester, Nicole Winfield, Mari Yamaguchi and staff members of The Associated Press.
