EU could approve vaccines adapted to target COVID-19 variants by September

THE HAGUE, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Vaccines adapted to address COVID-19 variants such as Omicron could be approved by the European Union (EU) by September, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday.

These adapted vaccines will "match more closely Omicron and other variants that have emerged recently," said Marco Cavaleri, the EMA's head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy.

These vaccines could be administered to people both vaccinated or unvaccinated, he told a press conference.

Cavaleri said the adaptive vaccines could be "approved by September at the latest to be ready for the roll-out of new immunization campaigns in the EU in the autumn."

The EMA official said that although the COVID-19 situation has stabilized in the EU, infections are still in the millions worldwide.

"The pandemic is far from over. COVID-19 will continue to affect our lives," he said.

"We must remain vigilant and should be prepared for the appearance of a new variant and for a possible surge of COVID-19 cases in the coming winter," he said.