The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the first vaccine against COVID-19 in the European Union which was produced by the US Pfizer and German BioNTech pharmaceutical companies and now Europe can launch vaccinations within the week, according to Reuters.

EU member states, including Germany, Austria and Italy, have said that they plan to start vaccinations on 27 December, with Europe trying to catch up with the United States and Great Britain where vaccination began earlier this month.

Member states are expected to receive their first doses of the vaccine on Saturday and some countries will start vaccinations on Sunday, while others will begin on 28 and 29 December.

After the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine has been approved, the next one to follow is the vaccine developed by the Moderna company. EMA has announced that it would decide on endorsing that vaccine on 6 January.