UK Prime Minister Johnson Welcomes WHO's Recommendations for AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2021) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that he welcomes the findings of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), who earlier in the day recommended the use of AstraZeneca/Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine.

"It was good to see the World Health Organization today confirm its support for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for use in everyone over the age of 18 and obviously everyone over 65, and also, supporting the 12-week interval between the two doses," Johnson said at a government coronavirus press briefing.

In a set of interim recommendations published by SAGE, experts said that the vaccine's benefits outweighed any potential risks, and suggested the vaccine be given to individuals aged 18 and over, including the over 65s, as well as in countries where new COVID-19 strains are spreading.

In late January, German newspapers reported that the vaccine's efficacy could be as low as eight percent among older adults. South Africa has also paused the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a new study suggested that it offers "minimal protection" against mild and moderate illness caused by a new highly infectious coronavirus variant identified there.

Kate O'Brien, director of the WHO's Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, said at a press conference on Wednesday that it was still worth inoculating adults with low-efficacy vaccines to counter the risk of severe illness and potential death from COVID-19.