Europe ramps up vaccinations as coronavirus haunts Easter holidays

Patients receive Pfizer and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine in a vaccination site in Sarcelles, outside Paris (AP/Christophe Ena)

Thousands have spent the Easter holiday lining up for injections at hippodromes, velodromes and other sites as France tried to speed up vaccinations amid a new rush of coronavirus cases.

But as Europe celebrated its second Easter in a row under the cloud of the pandemic, some cities put vaccinations on hold during the long holiday weekend – defying French President Emmanuel Macron’s insistence that “there are no weekends or days off during vaccination”.