Awaiting approval from the European Agency, the Covid-19 vaccine, if approved, will be available as early as December 27, 28, or 29, depending on the Member States.
The President of the European Commission spoke on social media this Thursday, December 17. “This is THE moment for Europe. We are protecting our citizens together; together we are stronger,” explained the message from the leader, accompanied by a video presenting when the vaccine will be available.
“In the same way we have faced this pandemic in unity, let us undertake in concert to eradicate this horrible virus,” insisted Ursula von der Leyen. Ultimately, it is a three-day window, from December 27 to 29, that the EU is planning for the start of the vaccination in the Member States.
In France, the vaccination will start at the end of December
This launch will concern one million people and will be spread over “a period of six to eight weeks, to take into account the 21-day interval between the first vaccination and the booster,” explained the head of the government.
Once the marketing authorization is established by the European Medicines Agency, the French High Authority for Health should in turn give its verdict on the safety and efficacy of the first vaccine reviewed, that of Pfizer, which uses messenger RNA technology. Before the National Assembly, Olivier Véran specified that this second French opinion would come on December 24 or 26.
Will France have received enough vaccines by then? The first batches of vaccines, ordered by the European Union, will be distributed among the States based on their population size.
These initial vaccine stocks are intended for the most vulnerable individuals, residents of nursing homes, and elderly people in hospital care units. The general public will have to wait until spring 2021 to get vaccinated, according to recent government statements.
