As the world waits for a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus disease (Covid-19), several major drug developers have decided to make a pledge not to seek government approval until their vaccine candidates are proven safe.
The move is seen as a bulwark against mounting political pressure to introduce a vaccine in a world ravaged by the pandemic.
Furthermore, the President of the United Nations General Assembly has warned that a Covid-19 vaccine must be accessible to all, as the exclusion of even one country from the global recovery measure will mean that the world will still face the coronavirus crisis. .
The coronavirus disease outbreak has killed nearly 870,000 people and infected more than 26 million worldwide, as well as disrupting hundreds of millions of lives and wreaking havoc on the global economy.
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Here’s everything you need to know today about the race for the Covid-19 vaccine:
• Covid-19 vaccine developers, including Pfizer Inc, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna Inc, have said they will be committed to meeting high scientific and ethical standards in conducting clinical studies and in their manufacturing processes, the Wall Street Journal reported. . WSJ added the draft of a joint statement that is still being finalized. The companies could issue the pledge early next week, the reports added.
* Russia continues to lead the Covid-19 vaccine race as the results of the first tests have shown encouraging results. Russia’s “Sputnik V” coronavirus vaccine was tested in two small trials, each of which included 38 healthy adults ages 18 to 60 who were given a two-part immunization. Twenty-one days after the first dose, the candidates received the second injection with a booster and were then monitored for 42 days. All the candidates developed antibodies to fight the spread of the virus within three weeks, allowing Russia to lead the race for the vaccine despite concerns raised by experts.
• Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, president of the UN General Assembly, said that a vaccine for the virus should be available to all who need it because if only one country is left outside, the world will still face a crisis from the coronavirus. “Inclusion is key, because without inclusion, the suffering of those who have already been left behind will continue, and we cannot guarantee peace in that kind of context,” Muhammad-Bande said.
• The confusion around the Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil sparked a new debate after President Jair Bolsonaro said that vaccination against the coronavirus should not be mandatory and that “no one can force anyone to get vaccinated.” Bolsonaro’s critics and opponents criticized his latest take, saying immunization cannot be seen as a personal decision. “It is sad that once again the president of Brazil is setting a denialist example. It should be mandatory, except in special cases or in health circumstances that justify not being vaccinated. An infected person infects others and makes possible the death of others, ”said the governor of the state of Sao Paulo, João Doria, a former ally of Bolsonaro turned enemy.
Read also | Covid-19 vaccine distribution not expected until mid-2021: WHO chief scientist
• Amid growing global expectations to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a step back and said it does not expect widespread immunization against Covid-19 until mid-2021. of the WHO comes when the United States is expected to launch a vaccine in a few weeks.
• WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also said that the world body will not endorse a vaccine that is not safe and effective. Covid-19 has claimed hundreds of thousands and infected more than 26 million people, putting pressure on players in the fray to develop a vaccine against the contagion.
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