Similar to the United States and the United Kingdom, which have already begun their vaccination campaigns, Europe will also be able to enter this new, hopefully decisive, phase in the fight against coronavirus. This Monday afternoon, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the same one used across the Atlantic and across the Channel.
In the evening, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the approval for the vaccine’s use and its release onto the market. This authorization by the European executive was the last necessary step before the start of the vaccination campaign in the EU, which is expected to begin on Sunday in some countries, such as France.
The Agency has issued a provisional one-year authorization. Monitoring for any significant side effects, which have not been revealed in examinations so far, will continue throughout the vaccination campaigns.
The European Medicines regulator specified that there was “no evidence” to suggest that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would not protect against the new strain of the coronavirus, observed mainly in the United Kingdom.
The EMA continues its work in reviewing vaccines from other laboratories. It is set to decide on January 6th on the vaccine from the American company Moderna, and then on January 12th on that from the British company AstraZeneca.
In France, the vaccination will initially be reserved for residents of nursing homes, then gradually extended to those over 75, over 65, and healthcare workers. Other European states, on the whole, have also opted to prioritize vaccinating the most vulnerable groups.
