<p>It is still not known whether people vaccinated against Covid-19 can still transmit the coronavirus, the head of the EU's medicine regulator told MEPs on Tuesday.</p>.<p>There are also concerns about whether vaccines developed last year will be effective against new mutations of the coronavirus strain now circulating the globe.</p>.<p>But preliminary indications are that the vaccines in use so far in the European Union -- by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna -- "will continue to be effective against at least the UK variant", said Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency.</p>.<p>"I think the South African variant is more complicated, and we need additional work to determine the efficacy," she added.</p>.<p>On possible post-vaccine immunity, she said clinical trial data did not look at transmission "but it is something that we're asking the companies to look at".</p>.<p>The comments, provided via videolink to the European Parliament, came as member countries begin to restrict travel to curb the variants' propagation while hoping that vaccines might provide a solution.</p>.<p>Cooke also addressed delivery delays to the EU of doses from BioNTech-Pfizer and from AstraZeneca, which is poised to get authorisation by the end of this week.</p>.<p>While unable to shed light on the cause of the delay -- something she said fell to the European Commission, which signed the purchase contracts with the firms -- Cooke stressed the EMA "can work to help solve any type of manufacturing issues that do delay the supply."</p>.<p>This could include helping to open of extra manufacturing sites.</p>.<p>She demurred on what authorisation the EMA might give the AstraZeneca vaccine when asked about German media reports -- later denied by the German government -- that the jab could be less effective in people over 75.</p>.<p>Some reports have suggested that the EMA may only approve the AstraZeneca jab for the under 55s.</p>.<p>"I'm not going to prejudge any decision because this is a scientific and expert discussion that is ongoing. But it it is possible to conclude an authorisation that would focus on a particular age group or it's possible to conclude for a wider age group," she said.</p>
<p>It is still not known whether people vaccinated against Covid-19 can still transmit the coronavirus, the head of the EU's medicine regulator told MEPs on Tuesday.</p>.<p>There are also concerns about whether vaccines developed last year will be effective against new mutations of the coronavirus strain now circulating the globe.</p>.<p>But preliminary indications are that the vaccines in use so far in the European Union -- by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna -- "will continue to be effective against at least the UK variant", said Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency.</p>.<p>"I think the South African variant is more complicated, and we need additional work to determine the efficacy," she added.</p>.<p>On possible post-vaccine immunity, she said clinical trial data did not look at transmission "but it is something that we're asking the companies to look at".</p>.<p>The comments, provided via videolink to the European Parliament, came as member countries begin to restrict travel to curb the variants' propagation while hoping that vaccines might provide a solution.</p>.<p>Cooke also addressed delivery delays to the EU of doses from BioNTech-Pfizer and from AstraZeneca, which is poised to get authorisation by the end of this week.</p>.<p>While unable to shed light on the cause of the delay -- something she said fell to the European Commission, which signed the purchase contracts with the firms -- Cooke stressed the EMA "can work to help solve any type of manufacturing issues that do delay the supply."</p>.<p>This could include helping to open of extra manufacturing sites.</p>.<p>She demurred on what authorisation the EMA might give the AstraZeneca vaccine when asked about German media reports -- later denied by the German government -- that the jab could be less effective in people over 75.</p>.<p>Some reports have suggested that the EMA may only approve the AstraZeneca jab for the under 55s.</p>.<p>"I'm not going to prejudge any decision because this is a scientific and expert discussion that is ongoing. But it it is possible to conclude an authorisation that would focus on a particular age group or it's possible to conclude for a wider age group," she said.</p>