WHO approved Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine: what does the measure entail?

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday gave its first emergency approval since the start of the coronavirus pandemic for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will facilitate its use in countries that do not yet have it valid.

“This is a very positive step to guarantee universal access to vaccines against covid-19,” said Mariangela Simao, director in charge of access to drugs at this UN agency, according to a press release reproduced by AFP. and Sputnik agencies.

“Today, WHO has included the covid-19 mRNA vaccine produced by Pfizer / BioNTech on the list for urgent use. This is the first since the coronavirus outbreak began a year ago. “, indicates a press release from the organization.

It should be noted that this urgent validation will allow the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to purchase the vaccine for countries in need.

The anticovid vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and Germany BioNTech demonstrated an efficacy of 95% in the phase 3 of the clinical trial.

One of the main challenges in using this vaccine is transportation and storage at ultra-low temperatures, 70 degrees Celsius below zero, although companies have designed a supply chain to meet this requirement.