THE HAGUE: The EU's drug regulator gave the green light for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday, and said there was no evidence it would not work against a new strain spreading in Britain.

The European Medicines Agency said the "historic" step paved the way for vaccinations to finally start within days across the 27-nation EU where cases of the disease are surging.

The Amsterdam-based watchdog had moved the decision forward from December 29 under pressure from EU governments, after Britain and the United States gave the green light weeks earlier.

"It is a significant step forward in the fight against this pandemic that is causing suffering and hardship," EMA chief Emer Cooke told an online press conference as she announced the decision.

"This is really a historic scientific achievement, within less than a year a vaccine will have been developed and authorised against this disease."

Following the EMA's recommendation, the European Commission is set to formally sign off within hours on a one-year "conditional marketing authorisation" for the vaccine developed by US giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech.

"It's a decisive moment in our efforts to deliver safe & effective vaccines to Europeans!" European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter. "Now we will act fast. I expect a @EU_Commission decision by this evening."