Topline
The World Health Organization approved the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use Monday, which could help developing countries access the vaccine and make it easier for other nations to approve it, as well.
A medical staff member prepares the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine in Le Chesnay, France, on ... [+]
Key Facts
The WHO approved versions of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in South Korea and India as part of its Covax initiative that ensures equitable access to the vaccine among developing nations.
The approval means that countries will be able to receive the vaccine through the Covax program, and it will let countries “expedite” their own approval processes for the shot, WHO said in a release Monday.
The WHO had already listed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, but the AstraZeneca shot is less expensive and easier to widely distribute, as it can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures unlike the Pfizer doses.
The WHO released guidance last week recommending the AstraZeneca shot should be given even in countries where other variants of the coronavirus are dominant, after South Africa said they would not roll out the vaccine there due to it potentially only being minimally effective against that country’s prevalent strain.
More than 50 countries have already approved the AstraZeneca vaccine to some extent, according to the company, including the United Kingdom and European Union.
Big Number
More than 330 million. That’s how many doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are projected to roll out to 145 countries through Covax this year starting at the end of February, according to data cited by Reuters. The Covax program is expected to only cover approximately 3.3% of the countries’ total populations.
Crucial Quote
“Countries with no access to vaccines to date will finally be able to start vaccinating their health workers and populations at risk, contributing to the Covax facility’s goal of equitable vaccine distribution,” Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, said in a statement Monday.
Key Background
Developing countries have lagged behind in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout so far, with a Vox analysis in late January finding that only 55 of the 80 million vaccines distributed to that point were given to a low-income nation. Though the WHO’s announcement Monday is likely to speed up the process, the distribution process is still expected to be slow, with the People’s Vaccine Alliance projecting in December that at least 90% of those in 67 developing countries will not be vaccinated in 2021. The WHO has stressed the importance of vaccinating developing countries in ending the Covid-19 pandemic, warning in January that “vaccine hoarding” by rich countries would be a “catastrophic moral failure” that could prolong the pandemic and cause negative economic consequences.
What To Watch For
The team behind the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine said earlier in February that an updated version could be ready by the fall, which would address the emerging variants of the virus.
Further Reading
Here’s What You Need To Know About AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine (Forbes)
Next-Gen Vaccine For Covid-19 Mutants Will Be Ready By Fall, AstraZeneca Says (Forbes)
Here Are The Countries That Are Leading In Vaccinating Their Citizens Against Covid-19 (Forbes)
WHO: Vaccine Hoarding Would Be A "Catastrophic Moral Failure" That Keeps "Pandemic Burning" (Forbes)
