Pfizer Inc.

The coronavirus variant Omicron may partially evade protection from two doses of vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech, Alex Seagal, head of research at a South African laboratory, told Reuters on Tuesday.

German biotech company BioNTech should be able to adapt its coronavirus vaccine relatively quickly in response to the Omicron variant, said its CEO Ugur Shahin, adding that despite the mutations, the vaccines must continue to protect people against serious illness.

Most European Union member states will have sufficient Covid vaccine supplies to immunize the majority of people by the end of June, much earlier than the bloc's official target, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg.

The usage of Covid-19 vaccines is often coupled with side effects. A few countries have recently suspended or limited the administrations of jabs made by AstraZeneca. The main concerns were linked to suspected appearance of blood clots after the administration of the vaccine.

Vaccines developed by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and the state-owned China National Biotec Group Co. have been dispensed in the country since they were granted emergency-use authorization in July.

The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal on Dec. 18, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day.

Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.

Vice President Mike Pence will publicly receive the coronavirus vaccine on Friday, and President-elect Joe Biden is expected get vaccinated as soon as next week, amid concern that many Americans may refuse the injection.

As Canadians, Britons and Americans begin getting immunized with a German-developed vaccine against coronavirus, pressure is building on the European Medicines Agency to approve the shot made by Pfizer Inc. and the German company BioNTech.

German officials have been especially vocal that they want it approved before Christmas. Here's a look at the EMA approval process:

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will get vaccinated against COVID-19, in a move intended to boost public confidence in the safety and efficacy of the jab that is hoped to bring an end to the pandemic.