[ad_1]
Issued on:
The World Health Organization has granted emergency validation to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, a decision that paves the way for countries to quickly approve its import and distribution.
The US-German vaccine becomes the first to receive such approval from the world health body since the outbreak began a year ago.
“This is a very positive step to ensure global access to Covid-19 vaccines,” said Mariangela Simao of the WHO.
“But I want to emphasize the need for an even greater global effort to achieve a sufficient vaccine supply to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere.”
The vaccine’s emergency use list comes after WHO convened its own experts and those from around the world to review data on the “safety, efficacy and quality” of the product, weighing the benefits against the risks .
The measure will allow UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization to purchase the vaccine for countries that need it.
“WHO and our partners are working around the clock to evaluate other vaccines that have achieved safety and efficacy standards,” Simao said.
“We encourage more developers to come forward for review and evaluation.”
