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The EU Medicines Agency (EMA) believes that a full coronavirus vaccination also protects against the Delta variant of the virus. “Currently, it appears that the four vaccines licensed in the EU protect against all strains circulating in Europe, including the delta variant,” EMA vaccination strategy manager Marco Cavaleri said yesterday at his agency’s regular press briefing in Amsterdam.
Field experience and laboratory tests have shown that two doses (one dose in Johnson & Johnson’s case) could produce antibodies capable of neutralizing the delta variant, he said. However, Cavaleri appealed to pharmaceutical companies to continue to monitor new developments closely. Studies demonstrating the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine against the Delta variant currently exist only from Biontech and AstraZeneca.
Delta is currently spreading rapidly in Europe and is also on the rise in Austria. The EU’s disease control agency ECDC had predicted last week that Delta could account for 90 percent of new coronavirus infections in Europe by the end of August.
Moderna approval for children pending
Still pending, meanwhile, is the EMA decision on whether to approve the Moderna vaccine for children and adolescents 12 years and older. According to Cavaleri, a decision on the U.S. company’s application is planned by the end of July.
After Moderna submitted its marketing authorization application for twelve- to 17-year-olds in early June, the EMA had promised an “accelerated review.” So far, only Biontech and Pfizer’s vaccine has EU-wide approval for this age group.
— source: ORF.at/agencies/picture: pixabay.com
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