WHO, on vaccines: “The world can start to dream of the end of the pandemic”

The positive results of the coronavirus vaccine trials mean the world “can begin to dream of the end of the pandemic,” the director general of the United Nations health agency said on Friday, adding that rich countries and The powerful must not overwhelm the poor and marginalized “in the vaccine rush.”

In a speech at the first high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly on the pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that although the virus can be stopped, “the way forward remains dangerous”.

The pandemic has shown “the best and the worst” of mankind, he added, noting “inspiring acts of compassion and personal sacrifice, impressive feats in science and innovation and moving displays of solidarity, but also disturbing signs of self-interest, lack of blame, and divisions ”.

Referring to the current increase in the number of infections and deaths, and without naming a name, Tedros said that in places “where science has been drowned by conspiracy theories, where solidarity is undermined by division , where sacrifice is to replace self-interest, the virus progresses, the virus spreads. ”

In his virtual summit speech, he warned that a vaccine “will not solve the vulnerabilities that lie at the bottom” – poverty, hunger, inequality and climate change – which will need to be addressed once the pandemic is over.

“We cannot and must not return to the same patterns of exploitation of production and consumption, to the same contempt for the planet which sustains all life, to the same cycle of panic and interference and to the same policies of division that have fueled this pandemic, ”said.

Regarding vaccines, Tedros said that “the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter” but the medicine “must be shared equally as a global public good, and not as private assets which deepen inequalities and become another. reason some people are left behind. ”

The WHO ACT-Accelerator program to develop and distribute vaccines quickly and fairly “runs the risk of becoming nothing more than a noble gesture” if there are no significant new financial contributions, he said. .

$ 4.3 billion is needed immediately to lay the groundwork for mass vaccine procurement and distribution, and a further $ 23.9 billion by 2021, he noted. That total, Tedros said, represents less than half of 1% of the $ 11 trillion in stimulus packages announced so far by the Group of 20.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres made a similar appeal on Thursday, the first of two days of the General Assembly session. The leader is frustrated and would like to see “a much higher rate of investment from countries that can,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday.

Henrietta Fore, director of UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said: “When poor countries started trying to buy vaccines, ‘none was available or was too expensive.

UNICEF typically distributes 2 billion vaccines a year, he added, and once it receives the COVID-19 vaccines, “we’re going to double it next year, so we need all of it. ‘help possible “.

For his part, United States Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that three of the six possible vaccines his government backed were showing promising data and “I have reason to believe that there is has more good news to come on vaccines and other countermeasures. ”

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has officially notified the UN of his withdrawal from the WHO, which he has harshly criticized for its response to the pandemic and whom he accuses of giving in to China’s influence .

Azar criticized the lack of “transparent information exchange” on COVID-19 and the WHO investigation into the origin of the virus. But he stressed he wanted health ministers to know they can count on Washington’s cooperation to defeat the virus “without compromise,” and stressed that the country “is providing more funding, equipment and support to fight the virus than any other nation. ”

Despite years of warnings, many countries were unprepared for the pandemic and assumed their health systems would protect people, Tedros noted. Many of those who handled the crisis better had previous experience with outbreaks of SARS, MERS, HINI and other infectious diseases, he added.

The WHO has been severely criticized for not playing a greater role in managing the pandemic.

At the summit, Tedros noted that “clearly, the global preparedness system needs attention.”

A WHO commission formed in September is reviewing international health regulations, he added, noting that the agency is also working with various countries to develop a pilot program in which participants conduct regular and transparent reviews of their level. health preparation. said.

The pandemic has also demonstrated the need for a global system to share samples of viruses and other disease-causing pathogens to facilitate the development of “medical countermeasures as global public goods”, he said. he declared, thanking Switzerland for the offer to use a high security laboratory. to manage the new biobank.

Tedros also supported the proposal of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, for an international treaty by which the WHO monitors the risks of infectious diseases in animals and their possible transmission to humans, guarantees to prevent high risks , better access to health care and meet financial needs. This would provide “the political base” for strengthening the health sector around the world.

The world spends 7.5 trillion a year on health, or nearly 10% of total gross domestic product, Tedros pointed out, but most of the investment goes to treating diseases in rich countries instead of “promoting and protecting. health. ”

“We need to radically rethink the way we view and value health,” he said.

“If the world is to avoid another crisis of this magnitude, it is essential to invest in basic public health functions, especially primary care, and all avenues must lead to universal health coverage with a solid foundation in it. primary health care. ” , he claimed.