Which vaccines are preferred over AstraZeneca by poorer nations?

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Poorer nations are opting for alternatives to AstraZeneca vaccines due to shelf-life concerns.

Poorer nations participating in the Covax programme have declined tens of millions of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses, indicating a preference for vaccines from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna. These rejections are primarily driven by the short shelf life of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which presents logistical challenges for countries with limited infrastructure and high vaccine hesitancy.
Significant Rejection of AstraZeneca Doses

According to a Covax document, nearly 35 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were declined by recipient countries. These nations sought to replace them with vaccines manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna. For the six-month period through September, poorer nations requested only about half a million doses of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India, a stark contrast to their demand for other vaccine types.
Preference for Other Vaccine Manufacturers

In contrast to the AstraZeneca vaccine, countries requested around 16 million doses of the AstraZeneca Vaxzevria vaccine produced in Europe, a figure comparable to the requested amount of Chinese vaccine doses. However, requests for Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines were substantially higher, reaching 70 million and 40 million doses respectively. This demonstrates a clear shift in demand towards manufacturers offering vaccines with more extended usability periods.
Shelf-Life Challenges Impacting Demand

The Vaxzevria vaccine, produced by AstraZeneca, has the shortest shelf life among the primary suppliers to Covax. Often, the vaccine leaves AstraZeneca plants with only a few weeks before expiry, exacerbated by quality checks and administrative processes. This limited usability poses significant hurdles for less developed countries, which already grapple with substantial logistical challenges in vaccine administration and face considerable vaccine hesitancy among their populations.
Covax and AstraZeneca's Response to Shelf-Life Issues

Gavi, a co-manager of Covax, has reportedly encouraged AstraZeneca for months to seek an extension for the expiration date of its vaccine from the World Health Organisation (WHO). While AstraZeneca has stated it is collaborating with regulators and the WHO to extend the shelf life of Vaxzevria, the WHO has already granted an extension for Covishield's shelf life from six to nine months. Some countries also declined additional AstraZeneca vaccines because they had existing stocks of other Covid-19 shots.

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Which vaccines are preferred over AstraZeneca by poorer nations?

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