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The WHO warned of what it said was a mistaken belief that the COVID-19 crisis ended with blows on the horizon, nearly a year after the start of the pandemic that has killed 1.5 million people worldwide.
Medical staff members treat a patient suffering from coronavirus disease in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at United Memorial Medical Center on October 31, 2020 in Houston, Texas. Image: AFP.
WASHINGTON – The World Health Organization warned that vaccines weren’t a magic bullet to the coronavirus crisis, as Russia began vaccinating its high-risk workers on Saturday and other countries braced for similar programs.
The WHO warned of what it said was a mistaken belief that the COVID-19 crisis ended with blows on the horizon, nearly a year after the start of the pandemic that has killed 1.5 million people worldwide.
“Vaccines do not equal zero Covid,” said WHO emergency director Michael Ryan, adding that not everyone will be able to receive it early next year.
“Vaccination will add an important, important and powerful tool to the set of tools that we have. But by themselves, they will not do the job.”
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also warned against the “growing perception that the pandemic is over” with the virus still spreading rapidly, putting enormous pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers.
Health officials in Moscow said they had opened 70 coronavirus vaccination centers in the Russian capital that would initially offer hits for social, educational and health workers.
The WHO warning came as the United States recorded a record number of Covid-19 cases for the second day in a row on Friday, as the country prepared for what United States President-elect Joe Biden has called a “winter. Dark”.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended “universal use of masks” indoors, and Biden said he would reduce his opening ceremony in January to mitigate the risk of the virus.
It occurs as countries prepare for the approval and launch of various vaccines that have been shown to be effective in trials.
MASSIVE LOGISTICAL EFFORT
The WHO says 51 candidate vaccines are currently being tested in humans, and 13 are reaching the final stage of mass testing.
Britain on Wednesday became the first Western country to approve a vaccine, from Pfizer-BioNTech, for general use, mounting pressure on other countries to quickly follow suit.
The United States is expected to give the green light later this month.
Belgium, France and Spain have said that the coups will begin in January for the most vulnerable.
With the imminent arrival of vaccines that need ultra-low temperature storage, American companies are preparing for a massive logistical effort to aid their distribution.
Insulated container companies are on the warpath after Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine should be stored at -94 degrees Fahrenheit (-70 Celsius).
Meat-processing giant Smithfield said it was ready to make its slaughterhouse cold rooms available for vaccine launch operations.
And US logistics giant UPS is churning out 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) of dry ice an hour in its warehouses and has developed portable freezers capable of storing vaccines at temperatures down to -112 Fahrenheit.
‘FOLLOW THE SCIENCE’
On the road to success are mounting signs of vaccine skepticism, with misinformation and mistrust staining public acceptance of the vaccine.
In Russia, the Levada survey agency recently found that only 36% of respondents were prepared to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Several high-profile figures have pledged to receive the vaccine in public in an effort to build trust, including Biden, Tedros and former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
The United States recorded 225,000 new infections on Friday, the second consecutive daily record for the world’s worst-hit nation.
Biden said the growing number of cases meant he would cut back on his opening ceremony scheduled for January.
“We are going to follow the science and the recommendations of the experts,” Biden told reporters.
CHRISTMAS POINT IS EXPECTED
More than 65 million people have contracted Covid-19 worldwide, and the death toll from the disease exceeds 1.5 million since it first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
British medical chiefs said the arrival of a vaccine should reduce deaths “significantly” early next year, but warned that social mixing around Christmas could cause another spike before then.
“By spring, the effects of vaccination will start to be felt by significantly reducing admissions, attendances and deaths from Covid, but there are many weeks left before we reach that stage,” they said.
Italy is experiencing a dramatic resurgence of infections after largely cracking down on a previous outbreak by imposing a strict lockdown, while Latin America and the Caribbean region have seen an 18% increase in cases in a week.
Other countries are also revealing holiday restrictions, with Switzerland banning Christmas carols on the streets and Madrid canceling most New Year’s events in the city center.
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