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The World Health Organization has said it does not expect widespread immunization against the coronavirus until mid-2021, dampening hopes just as research revealed encouraging initial results from a Russian vaccine.
The virus, which has killed nearly 870,000 people worldwide, continues to spread, with the flamboyant former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi now in hospital after becoming the latest high-profile figure to test positive for Covid-19.
The WHO special envoy on Covid-19, David Nabarro, made another note of caution about a possible vaccine. He told Times Radio in the UK that it could be until 2022 before an antidote was ready.
Around the world, governments hope to announce a vaccine as soon as possible against the virus, which has infected more than 26 million people, disrupted millions of lives and wreaked havoc on the global economy.
WHO welcomed the fact that a “considerable number” of candidate vaccines had entered end-stage trials, typically involving tens of thousands of people.
But “in terms of realistic schedules, we don’t expect to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year,” said spokeswoman Margaret Harris.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly spoke about the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines during a virtual meeting with his EU counterparts today.
He said in a statement: “Ireland fully supports the goal of sourcing a broad portfolio of candidate vaccines that includes a range of different technological approaches, giving us the best opportunity to ensure a safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19.”
Earlier today, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency would not endorse a vaccine if it is not effective and safe.
He also called on countries around the world to join forces to tackle the coronavirus, saying that “vaccine nationalism” would only delay the response to the pandemic.
The WHO director-general said 78 high-income countries had joined the global “Covax” vaccine allocation plan, bringing the total to 170 countries.
Russia has already approved a vaccine and research published today in the medical journal The Lancet said that patients involved in the first tests developed antibodies without “serious adverse events.”
But the scientists cautioned that the trials were too small, only 76 participants, to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
The White House also urged US states to prepare for a possible vaccine launch before November 1, raising concerns that President Donald Trump’s administration will rush to begin distributing a vaccine before 9:00 p.m. November 3 elections.
In normal procedures, test administrators must wait months or years to verify that vaccine candidates are safe and effective.
But there has been massive pressure to launch a vaccine quickly as the pandemic continues to take its toll.
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