EU secures 1.8B BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine doses for next 3 years

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Commission approved on Saturday a new contract with pharma companies BioNTech/Pfizer to assure vaccines until 2023.

“Happy to announce that the European Commission has just approved a contract for a guaranteed 900 million doses (+900 million options) with BioNTech and Pfizer for 2021-2023," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Twitter.

She said that the EU executive body was preparing for the next stage of the fight against the COVID-19 with the new contract.

With the recently secured jabs, the bloc plans to give booster shots to already vaccinated citizens and to inoculate children and teenagers.

Von der Leyen added that BioNTech/Pfizer vaccines were believed to guarantee protection against escape variations of the virus.

This year BioNTech/Pfizer committed to deliver in total 600 million vaccine doses to the bloc.

The EU aims at vaccinating 70% of the adult population by July.