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WHO Grants Emergency Approval to 2 AstraZeneca Vaccines

VOA News

   The World Health Organization announced Monday that it has approved two
   versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use,
   a move that will boost global supplies in the coming weeks.

   AstraZeneca-SKBio in South Korea and the Serum Institute of India
   produce the vaccines, which the WHO says are safe for all persons above
   18 years old. It took the global health body less than a month to
   assess data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the drugs and grant
   the emergency use approval.

   The World Health Organization will now distribute doses through its
   COVAX Facility to mid- and low-income countries. The approval also
   allows countries to speed up domestic regulatory approval to import and
   administer the vaccines.

   "Countries with no access to vaccines to date will finally be able to
   start vaccinating their health workers and populations at risk,
   contributing to the COVAX Facility's goal of equitable vaccine
   distribution," said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director
   General for Access to Medicines and Health Products.

   Britain implements 'red list'

   Also Monday, Britain launched its quarantine program for travelers
   arriving from 33 "red list" countries determined to be a high risk for
   COVID-19, as part of its effort to keep variant strains of the
   coronavirus out of the country.

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