EU hits 100 million COVID vaccine doses - and announces major extension to Pfizer deal

Over 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations have now been given in the EU - and a major extension to the European Commission's contract with Pfizer-BioNTech has been announced.

European Union countries will receive 50 million more coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech in the second quarter of 2020, head of the commission Ursula von der Leyen said, as deliveries expected at the end of the year will be brought forward.

Ms von der Leyen said the earlier deliveries, which will start this month, will take total supplies to the EU from Pfizer to 250 million doses in the second quarter of this year.

She also confirmed the Commission was in talks with the two companies for a new contract for 1.8 billion doses, to be delivered in 2022 and 2023.

Ms von der Leyen expressed full confidence in the technology used for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is different from the technology behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

"We need to focus on the technologies that have proven their worth," she said.