EU to expedite approval of variant-modified COVID-19 vaccines
The European Union will speed up approvals of coronavirus vaccines adapted to combat mutations, the bloc's Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a newspaper interview on Sunday
- Feb 14, 2021,
- Updated Feb 14, 2021 9:36 AM IST
The European Union will fast track approvals of coronavirus vaccines adapted to combat mutations, the bloc's Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a newspaper interview on Sunday.
"We have now decided that a vaccine that has been improved by the manufacturer on the basis of the previous vaccine to combat new mutations no longer has to go through the entire approval process," she told Bavaria's Augsburger Allgemeine.
"So it will be faster to have suitable vaccines available without compromising on safety."
She also reiterated the commission's view that closing borders was not an effective weapon against infections.
"I think it is wrong for us to return to a Europe with closed borders, as in March 2020," she said.
Germany will enforce entry bans on travellers from the Czech Republic and Austria's Tyrol region from Sunday to prevent the spread of new variants.
The European Union will fast track approvals of coronavirus vaccines adapted to combat mutations, the bloc's Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a newspaper interview on Sunday.
"We have now decided that a vaccine that has been improved by the manufacturer on the basis of the previous vaccine to combat new mutations no longer has to go through the entire approval process," she told Bavaria's Augsburger Allgemeine.
"So it will be faster to have suitable vaccines available without compromising on safety."
She also reiterated the commission's view that closing borders was not an effective weapon against infections.
"I think it is wrong for us to return to a Europe with closed borders, as in March 2020," she said.
Germany will enforce entry bans on travellers from the Czech Republic and Austria's Tyrol region from Sunday to prevent the spread of new variants.