The EU's medical regulator has authorized the use of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. If the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, greenlights the drug, inoculations can start across Europe.
It’s a decisive moment in our efforts to deliver safe & effective vaccines to Europeans!
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen)
The just issued a positive scientific opinion on the / vaccine.
Now we will act fast. I expect a decision by this evening.
"Now we will act fast. I expect a @EU_Commission decision by this evening," Ursula von der Leyen, the commission's president, on Monday.
"Our thorough evaluation means that we can confidently assure EU citizens of the safety and of this vaccine and that it meets necessary quality standards," Emer Cooke, the executive director of the European Medicines Agency, .
The European regulator authorized the use of the vaccine in people 16 or older, as U.S. federal officials did earlier this month. The U.K., no longer a member of the EU, is also already carrying out inoculations .
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