The World Health Organization has warned that vaccines will not be a magic bullet for the coronavirus crisis as nations prepare for a massive rollout to deal with emerging infections.
The warning comes as the United States recorded a record number of Covid-19 cases for the second day in a row, as the country prepares for what US President-elect Joe Biden has called a “dark winter.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended “universal face mask use” indoors on Friday, and Biden said he would reduce his opening ceremony in January to mitigate the risk of the virus.
It is produced as countries prepare for the approval and launch of various vaccines that have been proven effective in trials.
However, the WHO warned against vaccine complacency on Friday and what it said was a mistaken belief that the Covid-19 crisis ended with blows on the horizon.
“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 won’t do the job. “
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said progress on vaccines indicated “light at the end of the tunnel.”
But he warned against the “growing perception that the pandemic is over” with the virus still spreading rapidly, putting enormous pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers.
– 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 distribution.
Firms specializing in insulated containers 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 cold rooms at its slaughterhouses available for deployment 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 there are growing signs of vaccine skepticism, with misinformation and mistrust staining public acceptance of inoculation.
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.
“So it’s highly unlikely that there are a million people in the mall.”
– A Christmas peak is expected –
More than 65 million people have contracted Covid-19 worldwide and the death toll from the disease exceeds 1.5 million.
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 begin to be felt by significantly reducing Covid admissions, attendance and deaths, 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 has seen an 18 percent increase in cases in a week.
Other countries are 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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