WHOs assistant director-general Mariangela Simao said the UN health agency was working hard to ensure that coronavirus vaccine is accessible all around the world. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said that nobody should panic about getting the vaccine because everyone will get a vaccine.
"No one needs to panic, because you're going to get a vaccine," said Simao, the assistant DG for access to medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
"We've been working very hard to ensure that all countries, all populations, do have the opportunity to access these vaccines," she told at WHO social media live event.
Simao informed that around 50 countries have begun covid-19 vaccination campaigns, with more than 40 of them being high-income nations.
COVAX facility a globally-pooled vaccine procurement and distribution effort, working in association with WHO has come to a deal with 5 vaccine manufacturers for two billion vaccine doses. It aims to secure vaccines for 20 per cent of the population in each participating country by the end of the year, with funding covered for the 92 lower- and lower-middle-income economies involved.
Simao said, "We are expecting to have the first doses reaching countries end of February."
About Nasal vaccine.
As per WHO's overview of candidate vaccines, 64 have been tested on humans, while 22 of which have reached final-stage mass testing. Further in line, there are 173 vaccine candidates in developing stage in laboratories which would eventually go for human trials.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan is overwhelmed with the incredible range. She says a variety of vaccine with different properties was important. By far, only Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved by the WHO for emergency approval. Pfizer vaccine is a two-dose vaccine which requires ultra-cold storage facility.
"That's a problem in many countries," said Swaminathan.
She said nasally-inhaled vaccines only require a single injection and such types will be much more affordable than those that are already in use. Nasal vaccines are still in the development stage.
Swaminathan said there may be many vaccines having advantages over the first generation. "What we want to see is the prevention of disease. Prevention of infection is another question. But that is secondary," she added.
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Vaccine's effectiveness in preventing the spread of infection from person to person will be understood with time, as some vaccines produce sterilising immunity: they stop an infection, they prevent disease.
"Some vaccines do not stop infection but prevent disease. At this point in time, we're still waiting to see the results of the studies to know which of the Covid vaccines are actually going to prevent infection successfully. Hopefully, they should, Swaminathan said.