Europe prepares for COVID-19 variants with HERA Incubator

While Europe continues to grapple with a slower than hoped for rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the EU bloc is trying to get ahead of the curve on SARS-CoV-2 variants with the launch of the HERA Incubator. The biodefense preparedness plan is targeting improved variant surveillance coupled with incentives to develop and rapidly approve new vaccines.

The incubator is the first step in the European initiative to establish the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), a new EU level agency that would coordinate pandemic surveillance and response across Europe...