An expert panel from the World Health Organization (WHO) has foiled concerns over the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19. The panel asserts that using the AstraZeneca vaccine is the right thing to do, even in the countries where variants of the virus are dominating.

Dr Alejandro Cravioto, Chair of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), stated that despite a variant circulating in the country, the AstraZeneca vaccine should still be used, in order to reduce the levels of severe disease in that population.

A study in South Africa had recently suggested that the AstraZeneca vaccine provided little protection against a variant of the new coronavirus circulating in the country, among older people. However, SAGE Executive Secretary, Dr Joachim Hombach, stated that the study was relatively modest. Dr Cravioto mentioned that only a limited number of individuals above 65 years of age were included in the study… (UN, February 10, 2021)