WHO Recommends Oxford-Astrazeneca Vaccine for People Over 65 As Well

A panel of the World Health Organization has recently recommended Covid-19 shots of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine for all, including in people aged 65 and older. According to the panel, the benefits of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University overshadow any risks.

In interim recommendations on the shot, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) panel stated that the vaccine should be given in two doses, with a gap of around 8 to 12 weeks between the first and second doses. SAGE also said that even if there are doubts regarding the vaccine's efficacy against the South African variant, there are no reasons not to recommend its usage. 

It must be noted that the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine was paused this week in South Africa after data from a small trial showed that the novel coronavirus vaccine does not provide any protection against mild to moderate illness from the 501Y.V2 variant. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO’s chief scientist, stated that these findings are important milestones. As per the expert group, the“preliminary analyses" showed the AstraZeneca vaccine had low effectiveness against UK and South African coronavirus variants.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is important as the COVAX Facility aims to start shipping hundreds of millions of the AstraZeneca vaccine doses in the coming time. 

It must be noted that Serum Institute of India’s Covishield is the Indian version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine. 

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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.