German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Thursday that coronavirus vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant would be available in Germany no earlier than September.
Lauterbach said there were promising data from pharmaceutical companies Moderna and BioNTech, and that he was confident regarding the quality of the adapted vaccines.
Moderna presented initial data on the efficacy of its adapted vaccine on Wednesday.
It is a combination of its original vaccine Spikevax and a candidate vaccine specifically tailored to the Omicron variant.
Earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that vaccines specifically targeting the Omicron variant could receive EU approval by the end of September.
According to EMA director of vaccine strategy Marco Cavaleri, vaccines being developed by U.S. Company Moderna and Germany’s BioNTech had the best chance.
The necessary clinical trials were under way, he said, adding that the EMA was also reviewing progress by other manufacturers.