The benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University outweigh any risks and the pill should be recommended for use, including people aged 65 and older, he said. World Health Organization panel Wednesday.
In interim recommendations drawn up, a panel of Vaccine Strategic Advisory Group (SAGE) said the vaccine should be given in two doses, with an interval of about 8 to 12 weeks between first and second doses.
SAGE also said that even where questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the vaccine against the South African variant of the coronavirus, “there is no reason not to recommend it”.
South Africa stopped this week when the AstraZeneca vaccine was released after data from a small trial showed it did not protect against moderate-to-severe illness from the now-defunct 501Y.V2 variant of the coronavirus under the control of the country.