The European Medicines Agency has given its authorization for the use of vaccines against the omicron variant of COVID-19 to both Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer.The EU's medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), said on Thursday that it had given the green light to two vaccines that target the omicron variant of COVID-19.
The vaccines were developed by the US-German partnership BioNTech-Pfizer and by the US company Moderna.
Both have also produced vaccines against the original strain of the virus that were approved by the EMA.
The vaccines are the first to target the omicron variant BA.1, as well as being effective against the original strain of the virus.
Vaccines designed to tackle the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are still being reviewed, the EMA said. The USFood and Drug Administration greenlit the BA.4/BA.5 vaccines on Wednesday.
They function as booster shots for people who have already had a full dose of the original coronavirus vaccine. The EMA recommended their use for anyone aged 12 years and above.
The European Commission must still give its final approval, but this is expected to be given fairly swiftly.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has said that the new vaccines will be available in Germany by next week.
More to come...
ab/nm (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
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