What will Europe’s vaccination strategy look like?
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Both Moderna and Pfizer/ BioNTech have now filed for EU approval of their Coronavirus vaccine and are hoping for large-scale commercialisation of their vaccines by the end of the month.
It is the first time that companies request the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve a Covid-19 vaccine. However, even if approved, the commercialisation of the vaccine would be conditional: once distributed, patients will be closely monitored in order to confirm the efficiency and possible side-effects of the jab.
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The EMA will announce its verdict by 29 December 2020 and at the moment, is carrying out a series of tests on the vaccines. Clinical studies show that the Pfizer vaccine has a 95% efficacy, while Moderna’s is just over 94%.
Vaccines distributed proportionally
“The agreements we have reached ensure that all member countries will have access to a vaccine at the same time, and as soon as it has been approved,” the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, told Le Journal du Dimanche. The doses will be distributed proportionally to each country’s population and France is expected to get 15% of the EU’s doses. In the United Kingdom, the process will be slightly faster. The British government has just announced the approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and jabs will be available starting next week.
As for Monaco, the government has already announced that they have ordered Covid-19 vaccines. However, it is unclear when the population will have access to them.