Covid-19 vaccination update: WHO supports Pfizer’s candidate Pan-India dry run from Saturday.
Key sentence:
- It has been almost a month since many nations began vaccinations against the pandemic of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
- The majority of countries have approved Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE or Moderna vaccines, although some use both.
- India will hold a nationwide exercise on Saturday after performing a two-day vaccine dry run on December 28 and 29.
It has been almost a month since many nations began vaccinations against the pandemic of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Although the United Kingdom was the first nation where a Covid-19 vaccine was approved, and the immunization push began, numerous others have since joined the list.
The majority of countries have approved Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE or Moderna vaccines, although some use both. The Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, too, has earned clearance, led by Argentina, with the UK becoming the first country to send a nod.
As the international caseload reaches 83 million, here is another look at some recent updates on the Covid-19 vaccination side, as per the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracking system:
1. India will hold a nationwide exercise on Saturday after performing a two-day vaccine dry run on December 28 and 29. The four states where the dry run was performed on Monday, as well as Tuesday, were Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, and Punjab.
In India, three applicants for vaccines, including Pfizer’s, have applied for an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA). Oxford-Covishield, AstraZeneca’s though, and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech seem to have been ahead in the race and became the first Covid-19 vaccine in the world.
2. The World Health Organization (WHO) authorized Pfizer’s vaccine “emergency approval” on Thursday, it’s first since the beginning of the pandemic. The decision of the WHO would make it possible for UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to obtain the distribution of the vaccine to countries in want.
3. On Thursday, the European Union (EU) reported that Germany’s BioNTech SE, which produced a vaccine alongside America’s Pfizer Inc had sought approval from each vial for an additional vaccine dose, instead of the five currently approved vaccines. The proposal, the 27-nation bloc stated, will be examined “in the shortest time frame necessary” by its Human Medicines Committee.
4. On Thursday, Pakistan stated China had assured it of providing more than a million doses of the vaccine produced by Sinopharm for emergency use. Earlier throughout the day, the vaccine, China’s first indigenous for Covid-19, was given “conditional approval.” Pakistan has reportedly agreed to “pre-book” the vaccine for its healthcare staff, according to sources.
