WHO Grants 'Emergency Validation' For Pfizer-BioNTech Covid Vaccine, Paving Way For Global Access
ABP News Bureau | 01 Jan 2021 08:35 AM (IST)
The WHO said that the decision to issue its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine 'opens the door for countries to expedite their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the vaccine.'
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Covid Vaccine: The World Health Organisation on Thursday cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for ’emergency use’. Now, the rest of the world may soon get access to the Pfizer vaccine which is already available in Europe and North America. WHO said the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first to receive its “emergency validation” since the novel coronavirus first broke out in China a year ago. “This is a very positive step towards ensuring global access to Covid-19 vaccines,” said Mariangela Simao, a top WHO official tasked with ensuring access to medicines. Also Read|Have A Look At Efficacy Of 4 Leading Covid-19 Vaccine As India Gears For 'World's Biggest Vaccination Drive' “But I want to emphasise the need for an even greater global effort to achieve enough vaccine supply to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere,” she said in a statement. The UN health agency said its review found the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which has already received clearance in the United States, Britain, the European Union, and a dozen other countries, “met the must-have criteria for safety and efficacy set out by WHO.” The BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures, a big hurdle for developing countries where the required freezers and reliable electricity supply may not be available. “This requirement makes the vaccine more challenging to deploy in settings where ultra-cold chain equipment may not be available or reliably accessible,” the WHO said. Also Read|Vaccine Passport May Soon Become A Reality, Know How This Will Aid Travel