WHO backs AstraZeneca vaccine for over 65s

Geneva, Feb 10 (efe-epa).- The World Health Organisation on Wednesday said a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was safe for people over 65 years old, despite some countries like Germany and Austria advising against.

It is the second approval from the WHO for a vaccine against Covid-19, after the organisation in December approved one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

A third vaccine by Moderna, which is being distributed in the United States and has been recommended for use by the European Union, has not yet been approved by WHO.

The WHO also said that the AstraZeneca vaccine was effective against new, more transmissible variants first detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa that have seen infection rates soar in recent weeks. EFE-EPA

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