Poorer nations could get access to Pfizer vaccine after WHO approval

A health worker in Mexico gets a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (Marco Ugarte/AP)

The World Health Organisation has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, meaning poorer countries may soon get access to the jab already available in Europe and North America.

Every country that has a drug regulatory agency will have to issue its own approval for any Covid-19 vaccine but countries with weak systems usually rely on the WHO to vet the shots.