IRELAND IS EXPECTED to receive extra Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines after the European Medicines Agency announced it has approved extra manufacturing of the jab.

The EMA confirmed yesterday that is has recommended the approval of additional manufacturing and filling lines at Pfizer’s vaccine manufacturing site in Puurs, Belgium.

The EMA said the recommendation by its Committee for Human Medicines is expected to have “a significant and immediate impact” on the supply of Comirnaty, the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, in the European Union.

In a statement the EMA said: “Based on the review of the data submitted by BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH, EMA’s decision reaffirms that the Puurs facility is capable of consistently producing high-quality vaccines and enables Pfizer/BioNTech to increase the volumes of vaccines produced at this site.”

Pfizer said the EMA approval would aid its efforts to “deliver more than 2.5 billion doses in 2021 and potentially more in 2022″.

Ireland has received over 1.2 million Pfizer vaccines to date, with around 840,000 more due this month. Additional vaccines are now expected in the coming weeks.

Some 1.4 million people in Ireland have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to date, while about 515,000 people have received two doses.