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(Adds quotes, details on Africa, Nordic countries)
GENEVA/ZURICH, March 22 (Reuters) - More producers of
COVID-19 vaccines should follow AstraZeneca's lead and
license technology to other manufacturers, the World Health
Organization's head said on Monday, as he described continuing
vaccine inequity as "grotesque".
AstraZeneca's shot, which new U.S. data on Monday showed was
safe and effective despite some countries suspending
inoculations over health concerns, is being produced in various
locations including South Korea's SKBioScience and the Serum
Institute of India.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for
more manufacturers to adopt this model to boost supplies,
including for the COVAX vaccine sharing programme seeking to
speed more shots to developing countries.
"The gap between number of vaccines administered in rich
countries and the number administered through COVAX is growing
and becoming more grotesque every day," Tedros told a news
conference.
"The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a
moral outrage. It's also economically and epidemiologically
self-defeating."
Earlier, AstraZeneca released interim data showing its
vaccine, developed with Oxford University, was 79% effective in
preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and posed no increased risk of
blood clots.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan called it a "very
good vaccine for all age groups".
Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark have extended
suspensions of AstraZeneca's shot as investigations continue
into rare blood clotting events.
Still, WHO officials said African countries getting the
vaccine via COVAX are moving ahead.
"They did ask a lot of questions but the demand for the
vaccine is extremely high," said WHO senior adviser Bruce
Aylward.
It remains possible for COVAX to hit a second-quarter goal
of delivering 300 million doses, Aylward said, while
acknowledging "teething problems", with SKBioSciences and the
Serum Institute hard pressed to satisfy COVAX orders.
"We simply cannot get enough vaccine," Aylward said. "We're
hoping both companies will be able to scale up and keep up with
the rate of deliveries we're aiming for."
(Reporting by John Miller, Emma Farge and Silke Koltrowitz;
writing by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Giles Elgood)
