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“The first Europeans are likely to be vaccinated before the end of 2020,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter after announcing that the EMA would meet on December 21 instead of the planned 29.
Following approval by the EMA, the pharmaceutical company is ready to ship 10,000 doses to each EU country.
– This means that the entire EU will likely have access to vaccines earlier than planned, and hopes of large-scale vaccinations will soon seem even more realistic, Swedish vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström tells TT.
More vaccines
If the go-ahead is given from the EMA meeting on December 21, the European Commission can give its approval two days later. Bergström then assesses that the vaccine can be delivered to Sweden on Christmas Eve.
– Then there is the opportunity to start vaccinating in the middle of the day. The Swedish Public Health Agency and the regions have a discussion about an effort around December 28-29, but in a very limited volume because we will only have 10,000 doses, says Richard Bergström.
Subsequently, there are contracts with delivery times of several hundred thousand doses per month starting in January. And that’s only from Pfizer-Biontech.
– We are expecting another approval in January, one more in late January or early February, and then two more in April, says Richard Bergström.
The plan is blocked
The government has previously stated that five million Swedes can be vaccinated this summer. A plan that seems to go wrong, according to the vaccine coordinator.
– Every day I become more optimistic.
The EMA has previously said that it applied for a one-year conditional license for the vaccine, while the UK, US and Canada applied for a shorter emergency, without a formal license.
The newly appointed director of EMA, the Irishman Emer Cooke, emphasizes that safety remains first.
– While speed is important, safety is our first priority. These vaccines will be administered to millions of people in Europe and we are well aware of the responsibility we have, he said last week.
German press
According to Richard Bergström, the vaccine is likely to pass the safety test.
– At the EMA, several hundred experts from all member countries have deepened the documentation, and when they advance the trial, it is very likely that it will be approved, he says.
According to the German daily Bild, the country’s government has lobbied the EMA to advance the approval date, in part in reference to the fact that it was developed in Germany and financed with hundreds of millions of euros from the German treasury. According to Bild, the fact that the vaccine is already being administered to Americans and Brits on the assembly line while other Europeans have to wait has caused bad blood.
Henning Eklund / TT
Grim Berglund / TT
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