The European Commission announced on Sunday an agreement with the BioNtech and Pfizer groups to deliver 20 million additional doses of their anti-Covid vaccine to member states in the first half of 2022 to facilitate vaccination campaigns.
The Brussels executive specified that it had also activated a “
first option to order more than 200 million doses under the third contract with BioNTech-Pfizer
”.
“
This order also covers vaccines suitable for the Omicron variant, if these vaccines become available,
” the commission explained.
Deliveries are expected to take place from the second quarter of 2022, she said.
Read also Covid-19: health authorities call for vigilance against the threat of the Omicron variant
“
In the first quarter of 2022, BioNtech-Pfizer will deliver 20 million additional vaccine doses (5 million in January, 5 million in February and 10 million in March).
These doses come on top of the 195 million doses already planned by BioNTech-Pfizer, bringing the total number of deliveries in the first quarter to 215 million,
”the Brussels executive said in a
press
release.
An agreement has also been reached with the Moderna group for the delivery of additional doses during the first quarter of 2022, the statement added.
“
This will prove particularly useful for Member States with a short-term need for additional vaccine doses
,” the Commission explained.
Read also Omicron variant: what studies tell us about its true contagiousness
"
The extension of vaccination to all and the administration of booster doses are crucial and urgent,
" the heads of state and government said Thursday after their summit in Brussels.
“
In view of the expected rapid increase in infections from the Omicron variant, this is even more urgent than ever,
” the Commission stressed.
According to the European Commission, Omicron could become dominant by mid-January in the EU, when only 67% of the population are fully vaccinated.