The EU intends to carry out a coordinated vaccination program in its 27 Member States to ensure fair access to doses.
The European Union (EU) vaccination campaign against the coronavirus will begin on December 27, 28 and 29, announced the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
“It is time for Europe. On December 27, 28 and 29 vaccination will begin in the EU,” the head of the EU Executive wrote on her Twitter account.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) plans to meet on the 21st to evaluate the vaccine from the Pfizer-BioNTech laboratories. The Commission will then give its approval to start the campaign.
The United Kingdom and the United States are already immunizing people with this vaccine under national emergency authorizations.
The EU intends to carry out a coordinated vaccination program in its 27 Member States to ensure fair access to doses.
The European Commission signed contracts with seven potential vaccine providers, to ensure that all adult EU citizens can finally be immunized.
Member states will decide who has priority, but the elderly and healthcare workers treating Covid-19 patients will be in front.
The vaccine developed by the US giant Pfizer and the German company BioNTech was shown to be 95% effective in worldwide trials in which two doses are injected three weeks apart.
In Europe, that vaccine is produced at a Pfizer facility in Belgium and shipped on trucks and planes.
It must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit) to keep it viable, but can be transported for short periods at 2-8 degrees Celsius.
