The World Health Organization on Friday said it authorized Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
The vaccine is the fifth to receive emergency approval from the global health agency, which gives countries the go-ahead to import and administer the two-dose shots. WHO’s group of immunization experts recommend the vaccine for all people ages 18 and older.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for Moderna’s vaccine back in December. The European Medicines Agency approved the coronavirus vaccine a month later.
Moderna’s mRNA-based vaccine is about 94% effective, based on a median follow-up of two months, WHO found.
WHO has also granted emergency use approval for COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen subsidiary.
