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The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, paving the way for its distribution to countries in need.
It is the first vaccine to be added to the Emergency Use List (EUL) of the United Nations organization.
Its incorporation allows countries to accelerate their own regulatory approval process for the vaccine and for UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization to bring the vaccine to countries that need it.
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For the poorest countries, the road to coronavirus vaccines is much longer than the West
“This is a very positive step to ensure global access to COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products.
“It is vitally important that we secure the critical supply necessary to serve all the countries of the world and stop the pandemic.”
WHO brought in regulatory experts from around the world, in addition to its own team, to approve the vaccine that is already distributed in many first world countries, including Canada.
“The review found that the vaccine met essential criteria for safety and efficacy established by the WHO, and that the benefits of using the vaccine to address COVID-19 outweigh the potential risks,” the WHO said in a statement.
The UN organization will also support countries in delivering the vaccine as it requires super cold storage, which could be a challenge for some countries that do not have access to the necessary cooling equipment.
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine requires two doses and is said to be 95 percent effective against the coronavirus that has caused a global pandemic.
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