Corona 19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University in the UK. EPA=Yonhap News
The World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group temporarily advised on the 10th (local time) that the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine developed by the multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford in the UK can be used by people over the age of 65.
The Expert Strategic Advisory Group (SAGE), WHO’s Immunization Advisory Group, said, “Considering the totality of available evidence, WHO recommends that people over the age of 65 use the vaccine.”
SAGE Chairman Alejandro Kravioto admitted the lack of data on the effectiveness of the vaccine to the elderly over 65 years old during a video press briefing on the day, but said, “I don’t think this group’s (vaccination) response can be different from that of a lower age group.”
He added that the AstraZeneca vaccine is recommended to be used by adults over the age of 18 without age restrictions. He also said, “There is no reason not to recommend the use of it (AstraZeneca vaccine) even in countries where the mutation has appeared.”
SAGE also has a new guideline for the interval between doses. AstraZeneca suggests an inoculation interval of 4 to 12 weeks, but SAGE recommends that it be 8 to 12 weeks, saying, “Efficacy and increased immunity were observed when the interval was longer.”
The recommendation was announced after controversy that the AstraZeneca vaccine was not effective against the elderly and the mutant virus. European countries such as Germany and France have limited the recommended age for vaccination, saying that the AstraZeneca vaccine has not been sufficiently verified for the elderly. Korea has approved the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for adults over 18 years of age, including seniors over 65 years of age.
Meanwhile, the SAGE’s recommendation is expected to speed up the plan of the COVAX facility, an international project for joint purchase and distribution of Corona 19 vaccines led by WHO and others. AstraZeneca is a major supplier of vaccines to Kovacs, and Kovacs plans to deliver 336 million doses of the vaccine to member countries during the first half of this year.
WHO is expected to make a decision on a list of urgent use of the AstraZeneca vaccine by mid-month. To date, the WHO has approved emergency use only for Pfizer-Bioentech vaccines.
Reporter Go Seok-hyun [email protected]