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The World Health Organization has warned that vaccines are not a magic bullet for the coronavirus crisis, as Russia today began vaccinating its high-risk workers and other countries prepare 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 yesterday, as the country prepared for what US President-elect Joe Biden has called a “dark winter. “.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended “universal use of masks” indoors, and Biden said he would reduce his inauguration 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.
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.
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 its slaughterhouse cold rooms available for vaccine launch operations. The US logistics giant UPS is churning out 500 kg of dry ice an hour in its warehouses and has developed portable freezers capable of storing vaccines at temperatures down to -112 Fahrenheit.
On the road to success are growing signs of vaccine skepticism, with misinformation and mistrust staining public acceptance of inoculation.
In Russia, the Levada polling 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, Dr. Tedros, and former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
The United States recorded 225,000 new infections yesterday, the second consecutive daily record for the worst affected nation in the world.
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.
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 from the streets and Madrid canceling most New Year’s events in the city center.
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