“It demonstrated that at least 60% efficacy in clinical trials and preventing coronavirus disease and in fact the real-world evidence suggests that the effectiveness could be even higher than that”.
Following the EMA announcement, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Bulgaria said they will resume administering the vaccine.
US to ‘loan’ AstraZeneca vaccines to Canada and Mexico
The United States says it will send four million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada in loan deals with the two countries.
Mexico expects 2.5 million doses of the vaccine while Canada is to receive 1.5 million doses.
“I can confirm that we have 7 million releasable doses available of AstraZeneca,” Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said.
She added: “2.5 million of those, we are working to finalize plans to lend those to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada.”
African countries may experience a third wave of COVID-19
The WHO has warned that several African countries may experience a third wave of COVID-19 in the coming weeks.
Matshidiso Moet, WHO regional director for Africa, who gave the warning at a virtual news briefing on Thursday, cited population fatigue toward health measures and easing of restrictions as part of the reasons that may spike infections.
“At WHO, we anticipate that several countries are likely to experience a third wave in the coming weeks,” Moet said.
“Governments are easing restrictions, and there is population fatigue frankly in adhering to public health measures, and people will soon be travelling and visiting family for Easter holidays in many countries and some countries have upcoming elections with potential for mass gathering, and also variants are circulating that appear to be more transmissible.”
Nigeria records 135 fresh infections