GENEVA: No countries in Africa have refused the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine due to any remaining health concerns, a senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director-general for drug access, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, told a news conference: "It has all returned to normal, we don't have any countries refusing the AstraZeneca (vaccine) on the African continent."

WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward said: "There's a lot of confidence" in the Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine.