Covid-19 vaccines are effective against the mutated strain detected in the UK, European experts said Sunday by Germany’s health minister.
“As far as we know, and after discussions that have taken place among experts from the European authorities,” the new variant of the virus “has no effect on vaccines” that “remain just as effective,” he said. Minister Jens Spahn on the public television channel ZDF.
“It would be very good news,” added the minister, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
European Union experts, along with representatives of the German health authority (RKI), discussed the issue on Sunday, a source from Germany’s Ministry of Health told AFP.
The mutation of the virus has mainly been observed in Great Britain and has led many European countries to suspend flights from that country.
This variant of Covid-19 may be considered 70% more contagious than the previous one.
Next Monday, the European Medicines Agency is due to meet to approve in principle the first vaccine to be used in EU territory, the one developed by the Pfizer-BioNTech laboratories and already in use in several countries, including the United States and The United Kingdom.