A nurse draws the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc and Oxford University.
Photographer: Anthony Devlin / Bloomberg
Photographer: Anthony Devlin / Bloomberg
A World Health Organization panel is recommended AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine for all adults over the age of 18, paving the way for accelerating inoculations in developing countries.
The recommendation may encourage more countries to use the vaccine widely, after some members of the European Union advised against giving it to the elderly due to insufficient test data. The effect of the shot on older people is expected to be the same as on younger recipients, according to Alejandro Cravioto, chair of the WHO Group of Experts on Strategic Advisors on Immunization.
The decision is good news for developing countries, many of which are waiting to administer the first shots, as richer countries have already inoculated millions of residents. AstraZeneca, which developed the vaccine with Oxford University, has promised significant supplies to Covax, a facility that aims to distribute vaccines equitably around the world.
The WHO recommendation on the shooting of Astra follows the decision of the organization to eliminate a vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE in December. The feature of the UK drug maker is easier to implement than other vaccines like Pfizer, which have to be stored at extremely cold temperatures and cost less.
Astra inoculation is most effective when the second dose is given later, according to the group, which recommended 8 to 12 weeks between doses. The United Kingdom has adopted a similar dosing range, which is larger than the recommended gap for some other two-shot vaccines.
More than 138 million shots fired: Covid-19 Tracker
As mutated virus strains spread around the world, there has been growing concern that they will affect the effectiveness of the vaccine. South Africa, where one of the variants was first identified late last year, said it would pause the launch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a trial showed it had limited effectiveness against infections. mild with the stem. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said the shot should still protect against serious illness and WHO officials stressed the benefits of continuing to use the vaccine even in areas of varying success.
Covax plans
“We made the recommendation that, even if there is a reduction in the possibility of this vaccine having a full impact on its ability to protect, there is no reason not to recommend its use, even in countries with variant circulation, “Cravioto said in a briefing.
Covax said last month that it is on track to deliver at least two billion doses (about two-thirds of which will go to low-income economies) and vaccinate at least one-fifth of the population in each participating country by the end of year.
The WHO is in the final stages of evaluating AstraZeneca vaccines managed by the company and the Serum Institute of India for emergency approval and will make a decision in mid-February, they said. officials.
WHO authorization is required for Covax to send vaccines to participating countries, in order to ensure the safety and efficacy of a product for those who do not have the resources to do the assessments themselves. Individual nations can still make their own decisions about the use of traits.
Shares of AstraZeneca traded 0.9% less in London.