The World Health Organization on Thursday listed the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, being the first to receive such status since the pandemic began.
The WHO Emergency Use List opens the door to countries to quickly pursue their own regulatory approval to import and administer the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
The aim of the procedure, the organization said, is to make medical products such as vaccines available as soon as possible to address public health emergencies, while respecting strict safety and quality controls.
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine review found that it met the WHO criteria for safety and efficacy and that the benefits of using the vaccine to address COVID-19 outweigh the potential risks.
The United Kingdom was the first Western country to authorize the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
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