WHO approves France’s Valneva vaccine against COVID-19: Here’s everything you need to know about it

COVID-19 vaccines have played a major role in protecting people against the infection by developing immunity to the coronavirus, which has claimed over 64 lakh lives worldwide since its outbreak. As the world continues to battle the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended French firm Valneva's (VLS.PA) vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The development comes after the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) convened a meeting last week, Reuters reported.

The United Nations (UN) health agency has assured that all the vaccines recommended by SAGE aid in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.

A look at WHO’s interim policy recommendations for the administration of France’s Valneva (VLA2001) vaccine:

What is the Valneva vaccine?

The WHO defines Valneva (VLA2001) vaccine as a “purified, inactivated, and adjuvanted whole virus SARS-CoV-2 vaccine”.

Who is eligible for the Valneva vaccine?

The WHO has approved the French drugmaker Valneva's vaccine for those aged 18 to 50 years, with priority given to older adults, health workers and individuals at high risk of severe illness. Pregnant and breastfeeding people can also take the Valneva shot. However, the UN agency has emphasised that pregnancy testing should not be done prior to the inoculation nor should pregnancy be delayed or terminated because of the vaccine.

The WHO prescribes two doses of the COVID-19 shot that can be administered via an injection into the muscle. The gap between both the jabs should be at least 28 days.

Who should not take the vaccine?

The WHO has not approved the Valneva vaccine for people aged 50 years and above. Moreover, due to the lack of data on efficacy or safety for individuals below 18 years, the global health organisation does not advocate vaccination for this group currently.

If you develop an anaphylactic reaction– a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction– after receiving the Valneva vaccine, you should not take its second jab. Those having an acute febrile illness, with a body temperature greater than 38.5 degrees Celsius should wait for the vaccination until they are afebrile.

Will you need a booster dose if you take the Valneva vaccine?

Yes, you can take the COVID-19 booster jab after getting inoculated with the first two doses of the Valneva vaccine. A booster dose is approved by the WHO for the highest and high priority-use groups including older adults, health workers, and persons with comorbidities. Those eligible can get the booster shot four to six months after the earlier two jabs. In the case of over six months since the two shots, the booster dose should be taken at the earliest.

Is the Valneva vaccine safe? How efficient is it in the fight against COVID-19?

WHO’s SAGE has approved the vaccine for the 18-50 age group of people after examining the data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the anti-COVID vaccine. It must be noted that the safety data is restricted to persons over 50 years of age.

As per the UN health agency, people aged 30 and above who were administered both the doses of the Valneva vaccine, produced more “neutralising antibodies and had about the same seroconversion as people who received the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant] vaccine)”. While those aged 18 to 29 years, who were given the Valneva jabs, produced even more neutralising antibodies. From this data, it was concluded that the vaccine ensures sufficient protection against coronavirus.

The initial results show that the Valneva vaccine provides “less protection” against COVID-19 variants – Delta and Omicron. Meanwhile, the data on the impact of the Valneva vaccine on the transmission of the coronavirus is not available yet.

Which COVID-19 vaccines have the WHO’s approval?

As of 8 April 2022, the UN agency has approved the following anti-COVID shots to boost the safety of the public against the disease:

AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine
Johnson and Johnson
Moderna
Pfizer/BionTech
COVAXIN
Covovax
Sinopharm
Sinovac
Nuvaxovid
CanSino

Which Covid-19 vaccines are approved in India so far?

According to the COVID-19 vaccine tracker, India has issued Emergency Use Approval to the India-made Covaxin by Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, Biological E Limited’s Corbevax, Serum Institute of India COVOVAX, Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited's GEMCOVAC-19, Moderna’s Spikevax, Gamaleya’s single-dose Sputnik Light and Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine and Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria.

With inputs from agencies

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