Health

EU approves Moderna vaccine; France, Germany criticised for slow rollouts

Madrid Desk, Jan 6 (efe-epa).- The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the use of the US Moderna vaccine in the EU on Wednesday, a welcome boost for Germany and France who have faced criticism for the pace of their respective vaccine rollouts.

The British prime minister, meanwhile, warned that stricter lockdown measures applied across the country this week could stay in place until the end of March.

VACCINE

The EMA on Wednesday approved the use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by US Moderna for people over age 18.

It is the second vaccine to be approved for use in the EU after the one developed by Pfizer/BioNTech.

This endorsement is the first step before the European Commission approves the Conditional Marketing Authorisation (CMA) for Moderna, making its vaccine the second to be used in Europe after the Pfizer/BioNtech drug was authorised on 21 December.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that as European scientists have deemed Moderna’s vaccine to be safe and effective, Brussels is working at full speed to approve it and make it available for rollout across the EU.

This vaccine is administered in two injections in the arm, 28 days apart, and the most common side effects detected were generally mild or moderate, and improved a few days after vaccination.

GERMANY

German Health Minister, Jens Spahn, said that there would be enough doses of the coronavirus vaccine to protect the entire population, and asked for patience amid what critics have called a slow start to the rollout.

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