A German pilot traced a giant syringe in the sky on Sunday to encourage people to get the coronavirus vaccine as the immunization campaign in Europe begins.
Reuters reported that 20-year-old Samy Kramer mapped out the route before flying over the skies near Lake Constance in southern Germany. The flight path was viewable on the website Flightradar24.
“There are still relatively many people opposing the vaccination and my action may be a reminder for them to think about the topic, to get things moving,” Kramer told Reuters.
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“Perhaps it was also a bit of a sign of joy, because the aviation industry has been hit pretty hard by the pandemic,” he added.
European Union countries received their first shipments of the coronavirus vaccine this past weekend. In Germany, those who take care of vulnerable populations and people over the age of 80 are prioritized to receive the vaccine first.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Saturday, “At this moment, trucks are underway across Europe, across Germany and its regions, to deliver the first vaccine. More deliveries will follow the day after tomorrow. This vaccine is the decisive key to end this pandemic.”
The EU has agreed to buy 300 million doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine as well as millions more doses from other pharmaceutical companies.
According to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 data dashboard, Germany has so far confirmed more than 1.6 million cases and more than 30,000 deaths.