Four Vaccines likely to be available by Spring

An ‘abundant level’ of vaccines will be made available in the second quarter of this year, according to Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune.

‘In Ireland we’re at the important stage of vaccinating the most vulnerable members of our society,’ she said, ‘and with time vaccinations will become available for all who wish to be vaccinated.’

As a member of the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, Deirdre Clune had a meeting, this week, with the EU’s lead negotiator on Covid-19 vaccine contracts.

The Moderna vaccine arrived in Ireland on Tuesday while BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is currently being administered in Ireland and across the EU.

Deirdre Clune said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also received the application for approval by the AstraZeneca vaccine and conditional market authorisation is expected at the end of January.

Johnson and Johnson is to seek approval from the EMA in February, and, if approved, both the AstraZenaca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines could be approved for use shortly. It would mean that four vaccine types could be available by Spring.

The MEP welcomed the accelerated timeline and acknowledged that the EMA had already reviewed some data on the vaccine and was working hard to scrutinise vaccines to ensure they are safe and effective.

Last week, the European Commission purchased an additional 300 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine.

It will enable the EU to not only cover the needs of its entire population, but also be in a position to supply vaccinations to neighbouring countries.