While the appearance of a new variant of the Coronavirus in South Africa worries the authorities of several countries, the European regulator calls not to rush.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday declared in a statement that it was "premature at present to provide for the adaptation of vaccines (...) in order to fight against this emerging variant".
"We are closely monitoring the newly emerged B.1.1.529 variant, which has many mutations in the spike protein of Covid-19," added the EMA which says it needs more details to see if the strain, which presents "many mutations", could escape the four vaccines currently authorized in the European Union.
A potentially highly contagious variant
Called for the moment B.1.1.529, the new variant detected in South Africa and with multiple mutations is potentially very contagious, according to South African scientists, who see it as signs of a new wave of pandemic. Belgium was the first European country to have detected a case on Friday. The European Commission on Friday proposed to member states to suspend flights to and from southern Africa and other countries affected by the appearance of the new variant.
The EMA has so far approved four vaccines for adults in the EU: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which use messenger RNA technology, and AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which use adenovirus technology.
BioNTech said on Friday it expected data on the protection of its vaccine against the new variant "in two weeks at the latest."
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