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Covid: WHO gives emergency approval to AstraZeneca vaccine

is an endorsement that could accelerate the global vaccination campaign against the coronavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this Monday, February 15, that it had granted emergency approval for AstraZeneca’s anti-Covid vaccine, which paves the way for the distribution of hundreds of millions of doses to countries disadvantaged until then deprived of immunization against Covid-19. This procedure helps countries that do not have the means to determine for themselves the efficacy and safety of a drug have faster access to therapies and allows the Covax device, set up to ensure access equitable to the vaccine, to begin distribution.

The AstraZeneca vaccine represents the vast majority of the 337.2 million doses of vaccines that the Covax device, led by the WHO, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and the Coalition for innovations in epidemic preparedness. (Cepi), intends to distribute in the first half of this year. These doses for Covax are manufactured in South Korea and India by the Serum Institute of India (SII). The approval concerns these two versions, according to a press release from the UN agency.

Last week, the vaccine was already recommended by the WHO vaccine expert committee for anyone 18 years of age or older, including in countries where more contagious variants are circulating. However, the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical giant has experienced setbacks and doubts about its effectiveness for those over 65 years old and in the face of the variant of the virus initially detected in South Africa but which is today present in many countries. For the WHO and its experts, this vaccine will help limit the severity and mortality of a pandemic that claimed the lives of 2.4 million people in just over a year.

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