WHO issues “Joint COVAX Statement on the Equal Recognition of Vaccines” amid some countries’ preference for Western-made jabs
(Eagle News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) called on all countries and regions to recognize the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines included in its emergency use listing (EUL) as these are all “safe and effective.” WHO said failure by some countries to do so is “undermining confidence in life-saving vaccines.”
In a statement, WHO called on all nations to recognize all fully vaccinated persons who have been given COVID-19 jabs included in its EUL, including vaccines from China that WHO had approved such as Sinopharm and Sinovac.
This was in the face of growing skepticism in some countries over Chinese vaccine brands that are recognized as effective by WHO and which are in its list of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19
The following vaccines have all been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and are included in its EUL: Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India, Astra Zeneca EU, Janssen, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines.
It gave its latest approval on June 1 to Sinovac after studying its efficacy against COVID-19, and after on-site inspection of its production facility.
“COVAX was built on the principle of equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to protect the health of people all across the globe. That means protecting their lives and livelihoods, including their ability to travel and conduct trade,” WHO said in its Joint COVAX Statement on the Equal Recognition of Vaccines issued on July 1.
“As travel and other possibilities begin to open up in some parts of the world, COVAX urges all regional, national and local government authorities to recognise as fully vaccinated all people who have received COVID-19 vaccines that have been deemed safe and effective by the World Health Organization and/or the 11 Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs) approved for COVID-19 vaccines, when making decisions on who is able to travel or attend events,” WHO said in a statement.
-Dangers of widening global vaccine divide-
The organization also lamented measures in some countries that will choose only certain types of vaccines from the WHO’s EUL over other approved vaccines, saying this would further widen the global vaccine divide.”
“Any measure that only allows people protected by a subset of WHO-approved vaccines to benefit from the re-opening of travel into and with that region would effectively create a two-tier system, further widening the global vaccine divide and exacerbating the inequities we have already seen in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines,” WHO said.
“It would negatively impact the growth of economies that are already suffering the most.”
-WHO against moves undermining vaccine confidence –
WHO also hinted that measures or policies where Western-made vaccines are preferred over other COVID jabs undermine confidence in the vaccines which had passed WHO’s expert scrutiny.
“Such moves are already undermining confidence in life-saving vaccines that have already been shown to be safe and effective, affecting uptake of vaccines and potentially putting billions of people at risk. At a time when the world is trying to resume trade, commerce and travel, this is counter-effective, both in spirit and outcome,” it said.
“COVAX commends countries that have already shown commitment to equity as well as safety by accepting travelers protected by all vaccines validated by WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and/or the 11 Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs) approved for COVID-19 vaccines. We call on other nations and regions to do the same,” it added.
(Eagle News Service)