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Summary
- Amsterdam-based regulator European Medicines Agency approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Monday.
- Some EU countries such as Austria, Germany, and Italy are planning to start vaccinations from 27 December.
The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, which has already received regulatory authorisation for emergency use in at least 15 countries, including in Britain, Canada, and the United States, has been given conditional approval by the European Union’s medicines regulator to be used across all the 27 blocs.
After a closed-door meeting on Monday, Amsterdam-based regulator European Medicines Agency (EMA) has decided to use the vaccine from 29 December, paving the way for the vaccination programme to start within a week. The regulatory authority has been under pressure to accelerate the process from Germany and other EU states.
Interesting Read: Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine receives a go-ahead sign from FDA Expert Panel
The EMA disclosed that it was authorising the vaccine to be used on people above the age of 16. The deliveries of the vaccine by the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are expected to begin on Saturday, and some EU countries such as Austria, Germany, and Italy are planning to start vaccinations from Sunday.
Reactions on the approval
EMA chief executive Emer Cooke said that the approval of the vaccine to be used under emergency provisions was a historic scientific achievement. She added that it was a significant step forward in the fight against the pandemic.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that now the commission will act fast and the vaccine would be available to all EU countries at the same time and on the same conditions. She had earlier targeted the 27-29 December period for the vaccination drive.
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken more than 300,000 lives in Europe. And the cases are rising at an alarming rate in the winter months because of people gathering for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
This has prompted many governments to impose tighter restrictions on households in order to curb the second wave of infections. Partial lockdowns have already been announced in countries like Germany and the Netherlands.
The threat of a new, more infectious and easily transmissible coronavirus variant that has been taking over various parts of the UK has also seen several EU states suspend travel from Britain.
To Know more, Do Read: Covid-19 new variant: France imposes travel ban on UK
