The World Health Organization does not anticipate widespread vaccination against COVID-19 until the middle of next year, its spokeswoman said today.
This reason for this is that rigorous checks need to be conducted in order to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine before it is made widely available, says spokeswoman Margaret Harris.
She added that none of the vaccine candidates, which are currently in advanced clinical trials, have so far demonstrated a “clear signal” of efficiency of at least 50 percent (which is the threshold set by WHO).
After less than two months of human testing, Russia had granted regulatory approval to its COVID-19 vaccine in August. This has invited some doubt from Western experts regarding its safety and efficacy. Recently, it has also announced that its second vaccine is getting readied for approval.
Recently, the US public health authorities announced that its vaccine could be ready for delivery as early as the end of October.
Notably, this timeline is just ahead of the US election which is set to happen on November 3. The pandemic is likely to be a big factor in the elections as the decision of voters on whether President Donald Trump should continue for a second term depends greatly on the development of a vaccine.
“This phase 3 must take longer because we need to see how truly protective the vaccine is and we also need to see how safe it is,” she added.
Phase 3 refers to a stage in vaccine research where large clinical trials among people are conducted.
The spokeswoman did not refer to any specific vaccine candidate while speaking.
COVAX
The WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance are heading the global vaccine distribution initiative known as COVAX, which seeks to help purchase and administer shots equally across the globe.
The goal is to first vaccinate the most vulnerable people in every nation, such as healthcare workers.
GAVI is a global public-private health collaboration with the goal of increasing access to immunization in developing countries.
COVAX plans to buy and distribute 2 billion doses of licensed vaccines by the end of 2021. Some countries including the United States, have stated that they will not participate in the initiative as they have obtained their own supplies through bilateral agreements.
Margaret Harris stressed that the COVAX is about making sure everybody on the planet gain access to the vaccine.
