Union likely to extend Pfizer contract

Brussels: The European Union cemented its support for Pfizer-BioNTech and its novel Covid-19 jab technology Saturday by agreeing to a massive contract extension for a potential 1.8 billion doses through 2023.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that her office "has just approved a contract for a guaranteed 900 million doses" with the same amount of doses as a future option. The new contract, which has the unanimous backing of the EU member states, will entail not only the production of the vaccines, but also making sure that all the essential components should be sourced from the EU. The commission has a portfolio of 2.6 billion doses.