in Britain caused chaos across the region, with countries shutting off travel ties with the UK and disrupting trade ahead of the Christmas holiday.
EMA officials told a news briefing that it was highly likely the vaccine would work against the new variant of the coronavirus.The pandemic has killed about 470,000 Europeans and is picking up pace in the winter months, crushing economies in the process. Many governments have imposed tighter restrictions on households to try to curb a second wave of infections and avoid overwhelming healthcare systems.
The EMA had started a rolling review of preliminary data from Pfizer trials on Oct 6 in an effort to speed up an approval process that usually takes at least seven months. The EMA clearance, initially granted as conditional marketing approval, is valid for one year and can be renewed annually. It can be converted into a standard marketing authorisation after further data checks. This would be valid for five years but can be renewed for unlimited validity.
The process took longer than the ultra-fast emergency authorisation given by Britain, the first Western country to endorse a COVID-19 shot.