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EU to authorise first COVID-19 vaccine within a week, Von Der Leyen says

16 December 2020 19:45 (UTC +04:00)

The European Union will authorize its first vaccine against the coronavirus disease this week, planning to start immunization immediately, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday, APA reports citing Sputnik.

Speaking at the European Parliament Plenary, the president said that the commission had acquired a wide portfolio of vaccine candidates.

"And finally, within a week, the first vaccine will be authorised, so that vaccinations can start immediately. And more will follow in the new year," von der Leyen, said.

Earlier in the month, Emma Cooke, the head of the European Medicines Agency, said that her agency was studying vaccines by Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as Moderna.

According to the European Commission, it had secured 1.2 billion doses of various vaccine candidates, including BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi-GSK, CureVac and Moderna. Negotiations with other companies are underway.