After the European Medicines Agency recommended approval of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for use in the European Union, the European Commission officially gave such approval.

This was announced at a briefing on December 21, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

She called it “a new chapter in the fight against COVID-19” and recalled that the European medical regulator has recognized this drug as safe and effective against coronavirus infection.

The vaccine will be available to all EU member states under the same conditions.

The first deliveries of the vaccine are expected in the coming days, said von der Leyen, and vaccination can begin from 27 to 29 December.

“This is our first vaccine. Others will be approved in the future, if their safety and effectiveness are confirmed,” the head of the European Commission added, recalling that a meeting is scheduled for January 6, at which a decision will be made on the legalization of the vaccine from Moderna.

Recall that in the US, the drug from Pfizer and BioNTech was approved even earlier — the Food and Drug Administration gave permission for the use of this drug last week. In the States, vaccination has already begun.

And at the beginning of the month, the same vaccine was approved for use in the UK. On December 8, vaccination of vulnerable segments of the population began in the country.