Don’t dismiss AstraZeneca vaccine, yet: WHO

The World Health Organization has warned against dismissing AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine after concerns over its efficacy against specific strains of the coronavirus. Despite several noted setbacks, the international body has explained that the vaccine remains an important, life-saving tool, AFP reported.

On Monday,  the World Health Organization explained that the AstraZeneca vaccine was a 'vital tool in the global fight against the coronavirus' pandemic. This comment came after South Africa delayed the start of its inoculation programme over concerns about its efficacy against a virus variant

“It is vastly too early to be dismissing this vaccine,” said Richard Hatchett, who heads the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The CEPI co-leads the Covax vaccine facility with the WHO and Gavi after the AstraZeneca shot ran into a number of setbacks, including questions about its efficacy for over-65s, the Guardian said.

“It is absolutely crucial to use the tools that we have as effectively as we possibly can,” he said, speaking at the WHO’s regular bi-weekly press briefing on COVID-19

 AstraZeneca is currently a part of Covax, which was established to obtain Covid-19 vaccines and ensure their equitable distribution, worldwide.

Though AstraZeneca accounts for 337.2 million vaccine doses which will be shipped, post support, o nearly 150 countries, a study in Johannesburg has raised questions about its efficacy. A  trial at the University of Witwatersrand found that the vaccine provided only “minimal” protection against mild to moderate Covid-19 caused by the variant first detected in South Africa. Following this Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Sunday that the South African government would await advice from scientists on how best to proceed and put on hold the start of the inoculation process using AstraZeneca.

However, AstraZeneca on Saturday has said that it believed its vaccine could protect against COVID-19 strains and that it had already started adapting it against the 501Y.V2 variant found in South Africa.