EU Unveils Vaccine Incubator to Combat COVID-19 Variants

The EU has unveiled a plan to speed up regulatory approvals and manufacturing of vaccines against emerging strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

A new initiative under the EU’s Health Emergency Response Authority (HERA), the HERA Incubator will adopt the same approach as is used for the annual flu vaccine, the European Commission said.

The incubator will bring together researchers, biotech companies, manufacturers, regulators and public authorities to “monitor variants, exchange data and cooperate on adapting vaccines,” the commission said.