evidence: COVID-19 vaccines are developed following the same legal requirements for quality, safety, and efficacy as for all other vaccines. Like all vaccines, the effects of COVID-19 vaccines are first tested in the laboratory, including in animals, and then in human volunteers. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) evaluates COVID-19 vaccines against the same high standards as with all other vaccines before they are released for use. More information on the development of COVID-19 vaccines is available in the European Vaccination Information Portal: COVID-19. [...] Unvaccinated people remain at a much higher risk of falling severely ill with COVID-19, compared to people who have been vaccinated. [...] People who are vaccinated can still become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and infect others, although this occurs less often than in people who are unvaccinated. People who have received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccines and experienced at least one SARS-CoV-2 infection before or after the initiation of vaccination have a level of immune protection. This is referred to as ‘hybrid immunity’. Vaccinated people who still catch the virus are far less likely to fall severely ill, to be admitted to hospital, or to die than unvaccinated people.