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* WHO Director-General Says Vaccine Advance “Gives Us All Support”
* But the pandemic still has a long way to go – Tedros
* “Vaccines are not equal to zero COVID” – WHO’s top emergency expert
* COVAX targets 500m doses by Q1 2021 – chief scientist (adds chief scientist to implementation of COVAX scheme)
GENEVA, Dec. 4 (Reuters) – World Health Organization officials on Friday warned governments and citizens not to let their guard down on the COVID pandemic now that a vaccination was near, saying health systems could still fail under pressure.
Britain approved Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, giving hope that the tide may soon turn against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people worldwide, hammered the world economy and disrupted life. normal for billions.
“Advances on vaccines give us all a boost and we can now begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, WHO is concerned about the growing perception that the COVID-19 pandemic is over,” said the Director. WHO general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference in Geneva.
Tedros said the pandemic still has a long way to go and that the decisions made by citizens and governments will determine its course in the short term and when the pandemic eventually ends.
“We know it’s been a tough year and people are tired, but in hospitals that are running at their peak or in excess it’s the hardest it can be,” he said.
“The truth is that many places are currently seeing very high transmission of the COVID-19 virus, which is putting tremendous pressure on hospitals, intensive care units and healthcare workers.”
The virus emerged in Wuhan, China a year ago since it was reported that more than 65 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus globally and 1.5 million have died.
Two promising vaccines could soon be cleared for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and an estimated 20 million Americans could be vaccinated this year, helping stem the tide of the virus in the world’s worst-hit country. .
However, WHO’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan on Friday also cautioned against complacency in the wake of the vaccine launch, saying that although they were an important part of the battle against COVID-19, vaccines would not end the pandemic.
“Vaccines are not equal to zero COVID,” he said.
Ryan said some countries would have to support very strong control measures for some time in the future or risk an “explosion” in cases and a yo-yo of the pandemic.
“We are at a crucial time in some countries. There are health systems in some countries on the verge of collapse,” he said, without referring to specific countries.
COVAX ROLLOUT
WHO has supported the COVAX global vaccine program which seeks to ensure fair distribution of vaccines and to date has seen 189 countries join.
The WHO chief scientist said he hoped half a billion doses of the vaccine would be available for distribution from the COVAX scheme in the first quarter of 2021, with an initial plan to vaccinate 20% of the highest-risk populations, including operators. health care and older people. 65.
“The goal is to get at least 2 billion doses by the end of 2021 which will be enough to vaccinate 20% of the populations of COVAX member countries,” chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told the press conference.
This would be enough to “end the acute phase of the pandemic” by reducing mortality and the impact on health systems, he said.
COVAX is co-led by the GAVI vaccines alliance, WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The United States did not join the scheme, having secured bilateral agreements. (Reportage by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Michael Shields in Zurich; Written by Toby Chopra; Editing by Jon Boyle, Catherine Evans and Raissa Kasolowsky)
Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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