Geneva: Even as Pfizer and Moderna have claimed to have developed effective COVID-19 vaccines, the World Health Organisation reiterated that no vaccine “on its own” could end the pandemic.
“We still have a long road to travel, and you as our Executive Board have a vital role to play,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the virtual Executive Board Meeting of the WHO, which was chaired by India’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, on November 16.
Of late there had been some encouraging news on vaccines as well as commitments to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator that reached more than 5 billion U.S. dollars because of new contributions from France, Spain, the Republic of Korea, the European Commission and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
But at the same time, the challenges remain multifold. On one hand, the WHO estimates that US$4.2 billion is still needed immediately to lay the groundwork for mass procurement and delivery of COVID-19 tools around the world, and US$ 23.9 billion would further be required in 2021, if COVID-19 tools are to be deployed across the world as they become available. On the other hand, as Ghebreyesus said, a vaccine on its own will not end the pandemic. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we knew that a vaccine would be essential for bringing the pandemic under control, which is why WHO proposed the ACT Accelerator. But it’s important to emphasise that a vaccine will complement the other tools we have, not replace them,” he said.
Initially, supply will be limited, so the WHO has advised to prioritise health workers, older people and other at-risk populations so as to reduce the number of deaths and enable health systems to cope. “But that will still leave the virus with a lot of room to move. Surveillance will need to continue; People will still need to be tested, isolated and cared for; Contacts will still need to be traced and quarantined; Communities will still need to be engaged, and individuals will still need to be careful,” Dr. Ghebreyesus said.
“We still have a long road to travel, and you as our Executive Board have a vital role to play,” the WHO Director-General told the Board members.
In his address, Dr. Harsh Vardhan applauded the WHO staff at all three levels, Headquarters, Regional and Country Offices, for their sincerity and dedication. “Your work is valued not only by us, but as seen, in the trustworthy ratings of the authentic scientific information related to the disease, by the general public across all countries,” he said. He noted that the deliberations and statements made reflected the immense and deep engagement of Executive Board Member States and other partners in coordinating, leading and supporting not only the global response against the unprecedented pandemic but also other public health challenges. “The Member States’ interventions and rich inputs affirm the resolve of the Executive Board to further strengthen the response and work toward building a healthier, secure and prosperous world,” he said, adding that the discussions and suggestions would “strengthen our collective response and will encourage global cooperation”.
– globalbihari bureau
