Photo: Getty Images/Leon Neal
The first COVID-19 vaccine is now available for use in the European Union. On Monday the European Commission approved the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine for use. "Today we are adding an important chapter to our fight against COVID-19," stressed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following the decision.
The approval was based on the relevant recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A few hours earlier it had recommended authorising the BioNTech vaccine. EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said it was a scientific breakthrough. A new vaccine for a novel disease has been developed within one year. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn described the process as a "milestone in the fight against the pandemic".