GENEVA (AP) – Independent experts who advised the World Health Organization on immunization on Wednesday recommended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine even in countries that showed worrying variants of the coronavirus in their populations.
The advice of WHO experts is used by health officials around the world, but it does not mean the green light for the United Nations and its partners to send the vaccine to countries that have signed up to receive vaccines through a global initiative. This approval may come after separate WHO group meetings on Friday and Monday to assess whether an emergency use list for the AstraZeneca vaccine is warranted.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is important because it forms the bulk of the stock acquired so far by the UN-supported effort known as COVAX, which aims to distribute coronavirus vaccines to people around the world. COVAX plans to start shipping hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine worldwide later this month, but this depends on WHO approval for the injection, vaccine stocks and countries’ readiness to receive it.
But the vaccine faces growing concerns. After an initial study suggested that it could be less effective against a variant first seen in South Africa, the South African government struggled to adjust its COVID-19 vaccination program.
“Even if there is a reduction in the possibility of this vaccine having a total impact on its protection capacity, especially against serious diseases, there is no reason not to recommend its use even in countries that have the circulation of the variants”, said Dr. Alejandro Cravioto , chairman of the WHO expert group.
Rather than launching 1 million doses of AstraZeneca as planned, South Africa’s health minister said on Wednesday that the government would start immunizing healthcare professionals with the Johnson & Johnson unlicensed injection.
The recommendations of the expert group on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was developed at the University of Oxford in Great Britain, largely reflect those issued previously by the European Medicines Agency and the British drug regulator.
Cravioto said the AstraZeneca vaccine should be used in older age groups, despite the lack of solid data, similar to advice from the EMA and Britain.
“This means that people over 65 should be vaccinated,” he said.
Countries like Germany, France and Belgium, however, said that the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be used in older people, citing insufficient evidence.
WHO chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan noted that the AstraZeneca injection requires storage at refrigerator temperatures – not the much colder temperatures required for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that the group has already recommended for use.
So far, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only one to receive a WHO emergency use list.
The group of experts noted that “preliminary analyzes” showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine had a reduced efficacy against coronavirus variants that emerged in Britain and South Africa. Still, the studies were too small to produce definitive results and scientists believe that vaccines can still be useful in reducing serious diseases, which would greatly delay the pandemic.
“Any decision to leave vulnerable populations completely unprotected is a risky decision at this point,” said Michael Head, senior researcher at the University of Southampton. “Therefore, it is good to see WHO recommend the use of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in all age groups, including older populations,” he said in a statement.
The WHO group of experts also said that international travelers should not have a preference for doses of vaccine, saying that it “would go against the principle of equity”, while adding that there was still no evidence on whether vaccinations have reduced vaccination. streaming.
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