Severe side effects of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine not common: Robert Koch Institute

Severe side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the US' Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech pharmaceutical companies are a rare occurrence, a representative of the Robert Koch Institute said on Tuesday.

Berlin [Germany], December 22 (ANI/Sputnik): Severe side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the US' Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech pharmaceutical companies are a rare occurrence, a representative of the Robert Koch Institute said on Tuesday. "We have a vaccine that, according to all information we know, is reliable and extremely effective ... Severe side effects are not common," the representative told reporters.

The specialist added that due to both the limited supply and the lack of time necessary to vaccinate a large number of people, German citizens would have to continue to comply with hygiene rules and social restrictions in the coming months. The country expects to launch a vaccination campaign after Christmas, with priority given to residents and staff of care homes and front-line medical personnel, the representative said.

On Monday, the European Commission authorised the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 in the European Union. The vaccine will be available to all EU countries at the same time and under the same conditions. (ANI/Sputnik)

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