The European Commission on Friday said it has approved an updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech-Pfizer.

The commission made this known in a press release, noting that the vaccine Comirnaty XBB.1.5, which was given a green light, was altered three time, in order to respond to new COVID-19 variants, stressing that the vaccine was authorised for adults, children and infants above 6 months.

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, said; “I welcome this very timely authorisation of the updated COVID vaccine, which will target emerging and spreading variants. “COVID-19 will circulate in parallel to seasonal influenza during the upcoming autumn and winter season, and we need to be ready."

Kyriakides stated that authorisation was fast-tracked to allow EU countries to better prepare their upcoming vaccination campaigns.

Germany-based BioNTech gained international renown for developing a vaccine against COVID-19 based on its novel mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) technology.

During 2021, BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer supplied more than 2.6 billion doses of its Coronavirus vaccine.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had said in its latest update that COVID-19 cases in the EU were rising but infection rates remained at a low level.