By Online Desk
GENEVA: WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has informed that 2021 was a year in which 3.5 million people died of COVID-19 – more deaths than from HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined in 2020. And still, COVID-19 continues to claim around 50,000 lives every week.
“As Omicron becomes the dominant variant in many countries, all of us need to take extra precautions,” he noted.
“No country can boost its way out of the pandemic. And boosters cannot be seen as a ticket to go ahead with planned celebrations, without the need for other precautions,” he cautioned.
While some countries are now rolling out blanket booster programmes, only half of WHO’s Member States have been able to reach the target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their populations by the end of the year, because of distortions in global supply.
Enough vaccines were administered globally this year that the 40 per cent target could have been reached in every country by September, if those vaccines had been distributed equitably, through COVAX and AVAT.
“We’re encouraged that supply is improving. Today, COVAX shipped its 800 millionth vaccine dose. Half of those doses have been shipped in the past three months,” a WHO statement said.
“Our projections show that supply should be sufficient to vaccinate the entire global adult population and to give boosters to high-risk populations, by the first quarter of 2022. However, only later in 2022 will supply be sufficient for extensive use of boosters in all adults. So I call once again on countries and manufacturers to prioritize COVAX and AVAT, and to work together to support those who are furthest behind,” Dr Tedros noted.
About 20 per cent of all vaccine doses administered every day are currently being given as boosters or additional doses.
Blanket booster programmes are likely to prolong the pandemic, rather than ending it, by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate.
It’s important to remember that the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths are in unvaccinated people, not un-boosted people.
The global priority must be to support all countries to reach the 40 per cent target as quickly as possible, and the 70 per cent target by the middle of next year.
“Even as we work to make the best use of the vaccines we have, WHO is also working to identify the next generation of vaccines through the Solidarity Trial Vaccines,” Tedros said.
The Solidarity Trial Vaccines is co-sponsored by WHO and the Ministries of Health of Colombia, Mali and the Philippines, and aims to accelerate the evaluation of more COVID-19 vaccines, to expand the portfolio and improve access.
It is also intended to uncover second-generation vaccines with greater protection against variants of concern, with a longer duration of protection, or to assess vaccines that can be given without needles.
The vaccines in the trial were selected by an independent advisory group of leading scientists and experts.
Research teams in Colombia, Mali, and the Philippines began recruiting volunteers in late September, and so far, over 11,500 people are participating in the trial.
So far, the trial includes two vaccines, three others will be included shortly, and more can be included.
“WHO invites all countries and research centres to participate in this trial,” Tedros noted.
