European regulator to approve Covid-19 vaccine on Dec. 23, says Bild

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is aiming to approve the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on December 23, German newspaper Bild reported on Tuesday, citing government and European Commission sources.

EMA said in early December it planned to decide on whether to approve the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine by December 29, and another being developed by Moderna by January 12.

Germany's health minister, meanwhile, said that he hopes that a Covid-19 vaccine will get European Union approval before Christmas and that first inoculations can start before the end of the year.

Jens Spahn also confirmed the goal of a joint European Union approval. “We want a regular approval, not an emergency approval,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. [Reuters]