WHO approves eighth corona vaccine: India’s cofaxine “very suitable for low- and middle-income countries” | Corona virus what you need to know

As part of the EUL’s procedure for granting emergency approval (Emergency Use List), the World Health Organization is investigating the quality, safety and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines. Without this approval, the vaccine cannot be included in the Covax program, which provides vaccines to poor countries. Countries can also use information from the World Health Organization to more quickly approve vaccines for the use of their citizens. Vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have already been given the go-ahead, as well as vaccines from Chinese manufacturers Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm.

Covaxin vaccine is based on inactivated SARS-CoV-2 antigen. The WHO expert group recommends that adults be given the vaccine in two doses four weeks apart. Research shows the vaccine is 78 percent effective against Covid. It is also very suitable for use in low and middle income countries because it is easy to store.

“This emergency approval expands the availability of vaccines, which are the most effective medical tools we have to end the pandemic,” said WHO Deputy Director-General Mariangela Simao. “However, we must continue to increase pressure to meet the needs of the entire population. We must prioritize those at risk who are still waiting for their first dose before we can declare victory.”

India started its vaccination campaign early this year. Residents will be vaccinated for free with Covaxin, Covishield developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine. So far, more than a billion shots have been taken.

Approval means good news for Indians traveling. Australia and Oman have already said they recognize Covaxin as a valid vaccine. The same is expected to apply to the United States. Countries such as Iran and Brazil also use Covaxin.