
BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices (ANMAT) on Wednesday approved the use of vaccine from AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company, against COVID-19 in the country.
ANMAT announced the authorization in a statement, noting that "the product has an acceptable benefit-risk balance, which allows for the granting of its registration and conditional approval."
It also emphasized that the authorization is on an emergency basis solely as a prescription for one year.
"It must comply with the risk management plan established to closely monitor the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, as well as submit progress reports, modifications and updates to the National Institute of Drugs," the statement added.
This is Argentina's third authorization of a vaccine against COVID-19, following the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Dec. 22, and the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on Dec. 23.
On Tuesday, Argentina began to vaccinate its population against the disease with the first 300,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, which arrived last week.
The South American country registered its first case of COVID-19 on March 3, reporting a total of 1,602,163 cases and 43,018 deaths as of Tuesday.
The Argentine government has extended mandatory social distancing measures until Jan. 31, 2021 to control the pandemic.
Fire brigade in Shanghai holds group wedding
Tourists enjoy ice sculptures in Datan Town, north China
Sunset scenery of Dayan Pagoda in Xi'an
Tourists have fun at scenic spot in Nanlong Town, NW China
Harbin attracts tourists by making best use of ice in winter
In pics: FIS Alpine Ski Women's World Cup Slalom
Black-necked cranes rest at reservoir in Lhunzhub County, Lhasa
China's FAST telescope will be available to foreign scientists in April
"She power" plays indispensable role in poverty alleviation
Top 10 world news events of People's Daily in 2020
Top 10 China news events of People's Daily in 2020
Top 10 media buzzwords of 2020
Year-ender:10 major tourism stories of 2020
No interference in Venezuelan issues
Biz prepares for trade spat
Broadcasting Continent
Australia wins Chinese CEOs as US loses