The Moderna coronavirus vaccine has been given the green light for use in the EU.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended conditional marketing authoritisation for the vaccine.
It will be the second vaccine approved for use in the EU, after the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine started rolling out in Ireland and across Europe in recent weeks.
The Moderna vaccine uses similar mRNA technology to Pfizer's jab, and must also be stored in very cold conditions.
It's also a two-dose vaccine, with the two injections given 28 days apart.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said efforts are now underway at 'full speed' to make the vaccine available in the EU.
Good news for our efforts to bring more #COVID19 vaccines to Europeans!
@EMA_News assessed that the @moderna_tx vaccine is safe & effective.
Now we are working at full speed to approve it & make it available in the EU.— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 6, 2021
The second vaccine will help boost countries' supplies as their vaccination programmes intensify.
EMA's Emer Cooke said: “This vaccine provides us with another tool to overcome the current emergency.
“As for all medicines, we will closely monitor data on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine to ensure ongoing protection of the EU public."
A decision on a third vaccine - the Oxford / AstraZeneca jab - is expected in the coming weeks.
