WHO recommends AstraZeneca vaccine use amid efficacy concerns

Geneva, Feb 11 : The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that potential benefits of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine outweigh known and potential risks, amid concerns over its efficacy against the virus variant found in South Africa.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) panel on Wednesday said the two-dose AstraZeneca vaccine efficacy tended to be higher when the interval between doses was within the four to 12 weeks range, reports Xinhua news agency.
It also added that although preliminary analyses based on a small sample size in South Africa indicate a marked reduction in vaccine effectiveness against mild and moderate disease, it did not allow a specific assessment of vaccine efficacy against severe Covid-19.
As indirect evidence is compatible with protection against severe Covid-19, the situation remains to be demonstrated in ongoing clinical trials and post-implementation evaluations.
In view of this, WHO currently recommends the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine even if the variants are present in a country.
Countries should conduct a benefit-risk assessment according to the local epidemiological situation, including the extent of circulating virus variants.