The World Health Organization has granted the Oxford / AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine a list of emergency uses, paving the way for its wider global implementation, WHO Director-General Tedros announced on Monday Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO list will apply to the vaccine quota that will be distributed mainly to low- and middle-income countries. The producers will be the Serum Institute of India and AstraZeneca-SKBio of Korea.
This is only the second time the WHO has granted the list of emergency uses, the first for the BioNTech / Pfizer shooting on 31 December.
The list would mean that countries that receive the punch through COVAX (the global mechanism for delivering coronavirus vaccines) will be able to use the WHO recommendation for their own national approval process and start receiving doses. More generally, the WHO emergency use list is useful for countries that decide whether to approve a vaccine. The first COVAX vaccines are scheduled for distribution later this month.
“Countries without access to vaccines so far will be able to start vaccinating their health workers and their populations at risk, thus contributing to the goal of the COVAX facility for equitable vaccine distribution,” said Mariângela Simão, deputy director general. of the WHO for access to medicines and health products, at a press conference.
Countries need not rush to seal bilateral agreements, as such agreements would boost competition for scarce goods and raise prices, he added.
The announcement follows a recommendation by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group on Immunization Experts on 10 February for the Oxford / Astrazeneca jab for all adults, regardless of age. SAGE also supported the vaccine in places where coronavirus variants circulate.
The WHO has repeatedly called on drug manufacturers to submit data in a more timely manner so that they can streamline emergency use lists.