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The end of the pandemic is in sight, but we must not lower our guard, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, upon receiving the news that the global vaccine association COVAX has lined up almost two thousand millions of doses of existing and candidate vaccines for use around the world.
The huge vaccine repository means that COVAX, a 190-country international initiative that seeks to ensure that all countries have equal access to coronavirus vaccines, can plan to begin administering the vaccines in the first quarter of 2021.
Methodical progress
By mid-year, it will have administered doses sufficient to protect health and social care workers in all participating countries that have requested doses within that time frame. All other participants must receive sufficient doses to cover up to 20 percent of their population by the end of 2021 and additional doses in 2022.
“This is fantastic news and a milestone in global health,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters who attended an online press conference.
“This is a time to reassure ourselves that the end of the pandemic is in sight, but taking care not to lower our guard. We are all responsible for taking steps to keep ourselves and others safe, including during this holiday season.
“With today’s news, the light at the end of the tunnel has gotten a little brighter, but we are not there yet. And we’ll just get there together, ”Tedros said.
Ready to fly
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said it was ready to transport up to 850 tons of COVID-19 vaccines per month in 2021, more than double its usual vaccine payload. Most could be shipped using existing commercial flights, but alternative options and charter flights would also be considered when necessary, he said.
“This is a gigantic and historic company,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “The scale of the task is daunting and there has never been so much at stake, but we are prepared to tackle this.”
With the support of the Gavi global vaccine alliance, UNICEF is procuring and supporting the installation of 70,000 cold chain refrigerators in low-income countries by the end of 2021, which will aid in the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines that need to be stored. in 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. Almost half of the fridges will run on solar energy, UNICEF said.
It is important to understand that vaccines would complement, and not replace, existing tools to slow the transmission of the virus and save lives, he said. But vaccines were the key to stopping the disease, and as soon as the pandemic began, there was a risk that low-income countries would miss out on vaccines, which is why COVAX was formed, Tedros said.
‘The best deal’
COVAX is part of the COVID-19 Access Tool Accelerator (ACT Accelerator), a comprehensive plan to defeat the virus through the use of diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines.
On Tuesday, Dr. Tedros’ senior advisor, Bruce Aylward, called ACT Accelerator “the best deal in town,” and said its $ 28 billion price tag would be paid in full almost overnight. due to the immediate economic improvement that is expected if the disease is controlled.
Tedros, who took over the leadership of the WHO in 2017 with a promise to promote universal health coverage, said the vaccine should not be reserved for just the lucky few.
‘Hope for all’
“The images of people receiving vaccines give us hope, but it should be hope for all and not hope for some. For most of the past year, we have been talking with world leaders and vaccine developers to make sure that when their vaccines become available, they are equitably available to all countries. “
Prior to Friday’s announcement, COVAX had already prepared more than 1 billion doses of vaccines in development by 2021. The new announcement included an advance purchase agreement for 170 million doses from the candidate AstraZeneca / Oxford and a memorandum of understanding for 500 million. dose rate of the Janssen Candidate, which is currently being investigated as a single dose vaccine.
COVAX is co-led by the Coalition for Innovation in Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), Gavi, and the World Health Organization (WHO), working in partnership with vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, the World Bank, civil society organizations. civil and others.
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