WHO says nations that hoard vaccines will deepen the pandemic
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Geneva/Manila — Nations that hoard possible Covid-19 vaccines while excluding others will deepen the pandemic, World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday, issuing a last-ditch call for countries to join a global vaccine pact.
The WHO has an August 31 deadline for wealthier nations to join the Covax global vaccines facility for sharing vaccine hopefuls with developing countries. Tedros said he sent a letter to the WHO’s 194 member states, urging participation.
The global health agency also raised concerns that the pandemic’s spread is now being driven by younger people, many of whom are unaware they are infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups.
Tedros’s push for nations to join Covax comes as the EU, Britain, Switzerland and the US strike deals with companies testing prospective vaccines. Russia and China are also working on vaccines, and the WHO fears national interests could impede global efforts.
“We need to prevent vaccine nationalism,” Tedros told a virtual briefing. “Sharing finite supplies strategically and globally is actually in each country’s national interest.”
The European Commission has urged EU states to skirt the WHO-led initiative, citing worries over its cost and speed.
More than 22-million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally, of which more than 14-million have recovered, and 772,647 have died.
‘Not twisting arms’
So far, the Covax facility has attracted interest from 92 poorer countries hoping for voluntary donations and 80 wealthier countries, a number little changed from a month ago, that would finance the scheme, the WHO said.
Still, some nations are waiting for the August 31 deadline before making a commitment as the facility’s terms are still being finalised, Bruce Aylward, who leads the WHO’s Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative to speed supplies of Covid-19 diagnostics, drugs and vaccines, said.
“We are not twisting arms for people to join,” Aylward said. “We’ve had more and more discussions with a broader and broader group of players ... to work through what might be the barriers to collaborating — issues around price, issues around timing, issues around national expectations.”
With more than 150 vaccines in development, about two dozen in human studies and a handful in late-stage trials, the WHO said even countries signing bilateral deals boost their odds by joining Covax.
“Which one will be the successful candidate we don’t know yet,” said Mariângela Simão, a WHO assistant director for ...
The WHO has an August 31 deadline for wealthier nations to join the Covax global vaccines facility for sharing vaccine hopefuls with developing countries. Tedros said he sent a letter to the WHO’s 194 member states, urging participation.
The global health agency also raised concerns that the pandemic’s spread is now being driven by younger people, many of whom are unaware they are infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups.
Tedros’s push for nations to join Covax comes as the EU, Britain, Switzerland and the US strike deals with companies testing prospective vaccines. Russia and China are also working on vaccines, and the WHO fears national interests could impede global efforts.
“We need to prevent vaccine nationalism,” Tedros told a virtual briefing. “Sharing finite supplies strategically and globally is actually in each country’s national interest.”
The European Commission has urged EU states to skirt the WHO-led initiative, citing worries over its cost and speed.
More than 22-million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally, of which more than 14-million have recovered, and 772,647 have died.
‘Not twisting arms’
So far, the Covax facility has attracted interest from 92 poorer countries hoping for voluntary donations and 80 wealthier countries, a number little changed from a month ago, that would finance the scheme, the WHO said.
Still, some nations are waiting for the August 31 deadline before making a commitment as the facility’s terms are still being finalised, Bruce Aylward, who leads the WHO’s Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative to speed supplies of Covid-19 diagnostics, drugs and vaccines, said.
“We are not twisting arms for people to join,” Aylward said. “We’ve had more and more discussions with a broader and broader group of players ... to work through what might be the barriers to collaborating — issues around price, issues around timing, issues around national expectations.”
With more than 150 vaccines in development, about two dozen in human studies and a handful in late-stage trials, the WHO said even countries signing bilateral deals boost their odds by joining Covax.
“Which one will be the successful candidate we don’t know yet,” said Mariângela Simão, a WHO assistant director for ...
