In a bid to prepare for the next generation of vaccines that might be needed, the European Union will be launching a new programme to study mutations in the COVID-19 virus.The HERA incubator programme will bring together health authorities and laboratories and have its own funding.
“As of now, and in parallel to the efforts being made on the current vaccines, we have to help industrial companies develop production capacities for second-generation vaccines,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Last week she acknowledged failings in the EU’s approval and rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 and said the bloc had learned lessons in the process after criticism of the slow roll-out of vaccines.
