As governments move to secure COVID-19 vaccines for their populations, choosing these treatments should not be viewed as “some kind of nationalistic footrace”, with some countries winning and others losing, a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Friday. Dr. Mike Ryan, Director of Emergencies, was responding to a question about public concern over governments deciding to acquire certain vaccines over others. He warned against comparing national approaches in a competitive fashion, while calling for patience, tolerance and solidarity.
WHO announced on Friday that nearly two billion doses of current and candidate COVID-19 vaccines have been secured through the COVAX Facility, a global partnership working to ensure equitable access for all countries. While existing COVID-19 vaccines are limited and costly, many more are under development, including groundbreaking jabs that combine treatment for influenza or measles. WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said the UN agency wants to support as many candidates as possible to go through clinical trials.
WHO has established criteria for vaccines to come to market, including benchmarks for efficacy, safety and quality, which also align with the standards of regulatory agencies across the world. Senior Advisor Dr. Bruce Aylward underscored that a candidate will only be endorsed once criteria are met. With the criteria clear, it is up to regulatory agencies and countries to decide on which vaccines would be suitable for their populations, said Dr. Swaminathan.
Source: The UN
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