WHO sheds light on Moderna and Pfizer vaccine results – news

“We are very happy to hear this good news, but there are many other candidate vaccines that will show results before the end of the year and the start of the next, and some will be easier to distribute nationally and to develop. ‘others more complicated,’ he said. Vaccines and treatments expert Mariangela Simao at a press conference, the UN news agency reported.

The specialist added that “the prospects are quite promising and having two candidates with more than 90% efficiency is very promising, but there are still many challenges in the implementation.”

Meanwhile, WHO chief scientist Soumiya Suaminathan said developers should follow patients who received the vaccine for at least two months after the clinical trial ends to assess possible side effects.

“There remain questions about the length of protection they provide, the impact on serious illnesses in different populations such as the elderly, as well as the side effects after certain periods, so we hope that clinical trials will continue to develop. collect data, ”told me.

Suaminathan explained that there were safety and efficacy considerations, but also practical issues such as the cold chain and the number of doses required that the Covax mechanism will take into account when contracting with developers. .

“We remain optimistic and want to work with all the developers and manufacturers of the Covax initiative to ensure that we have as many options as possible, as some vaccines will be more suitable for certain situations or groups of people, and others will have special storage conditions. and distribution, ”he said.

The scientist added that it was clear that in the first half of 2021 the doses will be very limited and that many companies have already entered into bilateral agreements with some countries.

“Our goal is that we can have enough in our mechanism for the most vulnerable, such as health workers who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. We want them to be protected, regardless of their country of origin. It requires global solidarity, ”he said.

WHO expert Edward Kelly told the press conference that the world must remember that, even if the vaccine is implemented in the future, public health measures must continue to be applied.

“Last week we had 60,000 deaths and 4 million new cases, and we still have many weeks before the vaccine is available. It’s not the vaccine that saves people, it’s the vaccination, and we still have a lot of work to do on distribution, ”he said.

Meanwhile, physician vaccination expert Kate O’Brien said there are “a large number of vaccines available, such as measles which is over 95% effective, and although we still have outbreaks of this disease “.

WHO has called on countries to prepare, as most of them do not have programs to reach the entire adult population.

Meanwhile, Emergency Director Michael Ryan said it is “a time of great hope”, but you have to “have hope with attitude, determination, plans, investment, funding, implementation. is working to be ready to deliver the vaccine to all who will benefit from it and do so with equity ”.

WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus called for everything possible to protect health workers and stressed that despite the good news about vaccines, is very concerned about the increase in cases seen in some countries.

Tedros warned that a single vaccine would not be enough to defeat the coronavirus pandemic because “it will complement the other tools we have, not replace them.”

The WHO director participated in the agency’s executive board meeting again, after being quarantined on November 2, for coming into contact with someone diagnosed with coronavirus.

“Initially, the quantities will be limited, and therefore health workers, the elderly and those most at risk will have priority” will be the first to be vaccinated and “we hope that this will reduce the number of deaths and will allow systems to resist. health, ”he says.

He warned that “this will still leave plenty of room for the virus to function,” while urging not to abandon measures that prevent the spread of the virus, such as testing, quarantines or adherence to health prevention measures.

In addition, he favored the establishment of a “global system for sharing pathogens and clinical samples to facilitate the rapid development” of treatments, vaccines and other therapies, which would be organized as “public goods. global “.