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The EU is now being asked to speed up the approval process for the COVID-19 vaccine and catch up with the United States and the United Kingdom, which have already started vaccinating people with a vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Germany this week asked the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. EU member states have the option to start the vaccination process themselves, but the European Commission (EC) wants to launch vaccination across the EU at the same time so that no member state is left out.
Mr von der Leyen emphasized that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was one of the six that the EU had requested.
“The first vaccine will be approved in a week, so we will be able to start vaccines and there will be even more vaccines next year. In total, we buy more than enough doses for everyone in Europe. We will be able to support our neighbors and partners throughout the world. world through the COVAX program so no one is left behind, ”said Mr. von der Leyen.
COVAX is an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission (EC) and France to ensure that safe and effective vaccines are available to every country in the world, not just the wealthy who have reserved them.
EC Vice President: Christmas gift of vaccines for Europeans
The COVID-19 vaccine will be a “Christmas present” for all Europeans, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schin said in an interview on Wednesday.
“The vaccine will be a Christmas present for all the citizens of our continent,” Schin, 58, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
Schin’s comments came a day after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced a meeting more than a week before approving the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19, which will take place on December 21.
According to Schin, once EVA approves the vaccine, the European Commission (EC) will complete the approval process in a few days.
“We will do the job in two days, which usually takes two months,” said the EC vice president, adding that this would allow European Union (EU) countries to start vaccination around December 26.
Mr. Schin said, among other things, that the EC would launch a public information campaign to support vaccination programs.
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