Germany expects quick EU approval of Astrazeneca's COVID-19 vaccine

Germany expects the European Union to give quick approval to the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and Astrazeneca that was cleared for use in Britain on Wednesday, its top vaccines official said. Klaus Cichutek, head of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, said that, thanks to the rolling EU review of the Astrazeneca vaccine's effectiveness, it would be possible to take a quick decision once a formal application was submitted.

Germany expects the European Union to give quick approval to the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and Astrazeneca that was cleared for use in Britain on Wednesday, its top vaccines official said.

Klaus Cichutek, head of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, said that, thanks to the rolling EU review of the Astrazeneca vaccine's effectiveness, it would be possible to take a quick decision once a formal application was submitted. No such application had been received by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) by Wednesday morning, Cichutek told reporters, but a debate in its councils would follow as soon as it arrived.

"Once the application is submitted a decision can be taken quickly," Cichutek told a news conference. German Health Minister Jens Spahn urged "a quick and thorough examination" of the Astrazeneca vaccine by EMA, in addition to the expected EU clearance of a shot from Moderna in early January.

A vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is already being administered under an EU-wide vaccination campaign that began after Christmas.