Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Published : January 30, 2021 5:20 PM IST
AstraZeneca and Oxford Vaccine Gets Authorization From European Commission; Europeans to get the jab soon
The European Commission has given a heads up to the use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for all adults. Although the bloc seems unlikely to get the number of doses promised, the conditional marketing authorization has been granted to the Oxford vaccine. With the jab now authorized, around 400 million vaccination doses will be available across the European continent.
According to media reports, the authorities have been authorization for an emergency supply of Oxford COVID vaccine for the active immunization of individuals 18 years or older. This news comes amid a disagreement between the European Union and AstraZeneca over the latter breaking its vaccine delivery commitments. EU published the contract with AstraZeneca on Friday and launched transparency measure to avoid a breach.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm will deliver the doses so that Europeans can be vaccinated as soon as possible. The authorization was granted hours after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a positive scientific recommendation after the safety, quality and efficacy of the Oxford vaccine.
This is the third COVID-19 booster after Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to get a green light from the European Union. These vaccines got approval in later December and early January, respectively.
According to reports, the jab was found to be nearly 60 per cent effective against the coronavirus in the clinical trials. After four clinical trials in the UK, Brazil, and South Africa, the Oxford vaccine, involving around 24,000 people showed that the booster was safe and effective in preventing COVID-19. It is also good for people 18 years or above.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus known as adenovirus, from chimpanzees. When the vaccine is injected in the body, it prompts the immune system to start making antibodies that attack the coronavirus. This, in turn, will help ward off COVID-19 disease.
The emergence of the new COVID-19 strains had everyone scared, but scientists claim that the vaccinations available are effective against the new variants of SARS-CoV-2. A study published in the Lancet journal is safe, effective and gives good protection. But Germany's vaccine committee has said that AstraZeneca's COVID jab should only be given to people under the age of 65.
