Photos developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca are cheaper and easier to share than other offerings.
The United Nations Health Agency listed the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the doctor AstraZeneca for emergency use, a few days after a group of experts recommended the use of products in circulating variants of coronavirus.
A statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said it approved the relatively cheap shot produced by AstraZeneca-SKBio (South Korea) and the Indian Serum Institute.
“We now have all the parts for the rapid distribution of vaccines. But we still need to expand production, “WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a news briefing.
“We continue to ask COVID-19 vaccine developers to submit their dossiers to the WHO for review, while submitting them to regulators in high-income countries,” he said.
The WHO listing came days after its Strategic Advisory Group of Immunization Experts provided interim recommendations for the vaccine, saying that two doses with an interval of eight to 12 weeks should be given to all adults and can be used in all countries, including those in which a new variant of coronavirus was first identified in South Africa.
The country last week halted part of the launch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after data from a small study showed that it does not protect against mild to moderate diseases of the 501Y.V2 variant.
The WHO review found that the AstraZeneca vaccine meets the “must-have” criteria for safety, and its efficacy benefits outweighed its risks.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca image was appreciated because it is cheaper and can be stored at the normal temperature of the refrigerator. This makes it easier to distribute than some rivals, including the one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which was listed for emergency use by the WHO at the end of December.
Nearly 109 million people have been reported to be infected with the new coronavirus globally and more than 2.5 million have died.
Doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine represent most of the doses in the COVAX coronavirus vaccine sharing initiative.
Rory Challands of Al Jazeera said COVAX is a project that is designed to provide equitable access to vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.
More than 330 million shots will be launched in poorer countries by the end of February.
“Countries that do not currently have access to vaccines can start vaccinating health workers and high-risk groups,” said Challands, speaking from East Sussex.
“The fear was with the whole COVID-19 pandemic, is that there will be the richest countries that would buy all the vaccines and that it would not be enough to go around.”
A health official receives a dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India at Colombo Infectious Diseases Hospital, Sri Lanka, January 29, 2021 [File: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]