Europe has ordered 100 million additional doses of the Pfizer - BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Tuesday.
Combined with the previous order, that means the EU will receive 300 million vaccines, and “more vaccines will follow,” von der Leyen tweeted.
We decided to take an additional 100 million doses of the #BioNTech /@Pfizer vaccine, which is already being used to vaccinate people across the EU.
We will therefore have 300 million doses of this vaccine, which was assessed as safe and effective. More vaccines will follow! — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 29, 2020
The Pfizer - BioNTech vaccine was recommended by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on 21 December and approved by the Commission the same day. The first batches of the vaccine were delivered across the EU in the past few days.
A Commission spokesperson declined to comment recent media reports that the Commission has turned down an offer from Pfizer’s German partner, BioNTech, to buy 500 million more doses.
Belgium's first citizens - residents of three nursing homes - were administered the Pfizer vaccine on Monday.
It is currently the only vaccine recommend by EMA, while five other vaccines are yet to be approved.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
