European Union approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

A sign in the window of an office at Pfizer Manufacturing in Puurs, Belgium (Valentin Bianchi/AP)

The European Union has given official approval for the coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer to be put on to the market across the 27-nation bloc.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the commission “took the decision to make available for European citizens the first Covid-19 vaccine. We granted conditional market authorisation”.