EU must consider mandatory Covid jabs, says Von der Leyen

European Commission president says EU states need to discuss idea in response to spread of Omicron variant

Ursula Von der Leyen said the spread of the disease and the lack of vaccine take-up in parts of the EU meant mandatory vaccination had to be on the table as a policy response. Picture: Christian Hartmann/Pool Photo via AP

The EU must consider mandatory vaccination in response to the spread of the “highly contagious” Omicron Covid variant across Europe, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said.

In a call to arms, Von der Leyen said the EU’s 27 member states should rapidly deploy booster doses and backed countries that temporarily enforced pre-travel PCR tests even within the bloc’s borders.