COVID: Using AstraZeneca vaccine is ‘right thing to do’ for everyone, says WHO expert panel – UN News

Even ifyouhavethe circulation of a variant in a country, there is no reason that we see for now,not to use the AstraZeneca vaccine as indicated, to be able to reduce the levels of severe disease in that population,saidDr AlejandroCravioto, Chair of theStrategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE).

The development follows therecentrelease of data from a study in South Africa indicatingthat theAstraZeneca jab providedlittleprotection againstavariant of the new coronavirusamong older people.

At a press conference in Geneva,SAGEExecutive Secretary,Dr JoachimHombach,described thatstudy asrelativelymodest, whileDrCraviotoadded thatfew over 65shad takenpartin it.

Dr Kate OBrien,WHOshead of immunization,said thatthe South African studysfindings were inconclusive, albeit demonstrating a low efficacyagainst mild and moderate disease.

Most important was theabsence ofevidence from that trial over whether the AZ product hasefficacy against severe disease, hospitalisation and death,she said,and that is the outcome of most interest andmost impact for early roll-out of vaccines.

From researchintothe new coronaviruss response to vaccines in trials so far, Dr OBrien explainedthatthe highestimpacthad beenamongthe mostpoorlypatients.

For all of the vaccines there is a gradient of response,she said. The highest response is against the most severe disease and somewhatlower efficacy for moderate and then further down for milder diseasethis is not unique to coronavirus vaccine.

The vaccine should beadministeredin two dosesto people over18 yearsoldwithout any upper age limit,DrCraviotosaid,addingthatthebest interval between the first and second doses waseight to 12 weeks,to ensureanincreasedimmune response.

Although the vaccine is safe,the SAGE Chair said thatowing to a lack of available data,it was notyetpossible to make a recommendation aboutwhether the vaccine should be given toallpregnantor breastfeedingwomen.

That decision should be taken on an individual basis by a general practitioner, he added.

And because of a lack of available vaccinesand the need to continue limiting the potentialfor the virus tospread,Dr.Craviotoadvisedthat international travellers shouldnot be given thejab.

Urging countries to use the AstraZeneca vaccine particularly those for whom it would be their sole protection against the virus -WHO Chief Scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, insisted thatthere was no time to lose.

The vast majority of countries that are still waiting to introducea vaccine - and this vaccine may be the first one - certainly the benefits will far outweigh the risks.

DrSwaminathanalso issued a call forgreatergenomicmonitoring ofCOVID-19 transmissionin initiatives including theAfricaPathogenGenomics Initiative.

In manyothercountriesthe situation may be that with very limited sequencing theyve been able to detect this variant, but they dont know the spread.And therefore,theyre very cautious in making decisions based on very limited data.

To date, there have beenthere have been 106,555,206 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2,333,446 deaths, reported to WHO.

In a related development, the heads of the WHO and UN Childrens Fund UNICEF on Wednesday made an urgent appeal for vaccine solidarity.

TedrosAdhanom Ghebreyesus and Henrietta Forecalled on leaders to look beyond their borders and employ a vaccine strategy that can actually end the pandemic and limit variants.

Of the 128million dosesadministered so far, more than three quarters of vaccinations have been in just 10 of the wealthiest nations, they said.

This is a self-defeating strategy that will cost lives and livelihoods, the UN officials said, before warning that it would also give the virus the chance to mutate and evade vaccines, while also undermining economic recovery.

So that vaccine rollouts can begin in all countries of the world in the first 100 days of 2021, the WHO and UNICEF chiefs said it was imperative that health workers who have been on the frontlines of the pandemic in lower and middleincome settings should be protected first.

They also called for the COVID response initiative known as Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT) to be fully funded, to help developing countries to deploy vaccines.

If fully funded, the ACT Accelerator could return up to $166 for every dollar invested, the UN officials maintained.

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COVID: Using AstraZeneca vaccine is 'right thing to do' for everyone, says WHO expert panel - UN News