The latest
Over the holidays, the World Health Organization approved the use of the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.
The first FDA approved vaccine is the BioNTech /Pfizer Inc. was also the first to receive WHO emergency validation.
The validation is important as it now allows countries to speed up the approval processes to start administering the vaccine.
As a result, UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organization could also start distributing the vaccine.
The WTO review of the vaccine found that the vaccine complied with the WHO safety and efficacy standards.
In addition, the WHO has also called for other vaccine developers to come forward for validation.
COVID-19 cases continue to increase worldwide as countries struggle to limit the spread of the virus.
The urgency contributes to the new tribe from the UK being considered more virulent.
The validation is good news, but the Comirnaty vaccine is causing logistical and price-fixing problems. For many countries, the AstraZeneca vaccine is likely to be a more viable option. More importantly, AstraZeneca has also engaged vaccine manufacturers around the world to meet global demand.
The World Health Organization’s approval for emergency use of the AstraZeneca vaccine will therefore be an important step in the fight against the virus.
Following UK approval last week over the AstraZeneca vaccine, India apparently approved the vaccine. Argentina also approved the emergency use of the vaccine.
The latest COVID-19 numbers
At the time of writing, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 84,349,523.
In the US, the total number of cases rose to 20,614,554, with the total number of related deaths rising to 356,401.
Behind the US, India raised the total number of cases to 10,303,409, while Brazil reported a total of 7,700,578 cases.
For France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the total number of cases was 8,461,804, with 224,611 related deaths.
Across the UK, the total number of cases was 2,542,065, with 74,125 related deaths.
However, governments expect the numbers to rise after the holidays.
What’s next?
Other countries are expected to complete COVID-19 vaccination processes in the coming weeks.
As France, Germany, Italy and Spain report a combined number of cases of 8,461,804, more than Brazil, EMA approval is key.
Following the EMA’s approval last week of the BioNTech / Pfizer Inc. vaccine, news broke late in the week that the EMA needed more information from AstraZeneca.
In terms of production capacity, price and logistics, there will definitely be pressure on the EMA approval.
From Russia there is also a huge demand for Sputnik V, with the Russian vaccine approved according to Argentina. Russia already supplies the vaccine to countries such as Algeria, Bolivia, Guinea and Serbia.
However, India and Brazil are reportedly delaying the use of Sputnik V until further trials are completed.
However, concerns about the safety of the Sputnik V vaccine have led the West to be reluctant to consider the vaccine.
China’s vaccine also received a cold reception. Late last week, China’s health authorities approved the general-purpose Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. While the West has yet to show interest in the Sinopharm vaccine, countries in the Middle East have begun using the Sinopharm vaccine.
Despite skepticism, successful clinical trials of both China’s and Russia’s vaccinations will provide governments with an increasing number of vaccinations to choose from.
The good news is that Johnson & Johnson must also provide clinical trial data this month. A 4de vaccine from the West, along with China and Russia’s vaccinations, would provide an even wider choice.
Johnson & Johnson currently remains the pioneer in delivering the first single-dose vaccine.
This article was originally posted on FX Empire