The World Health Organization does not expect large-scale vaccinations against COVID-19 until the middle of next year, a spokesman said Friday, stressing the importance of rigorous testing of their effectiveness and safety.
Spokeswoman Margaret Harris said that in
the latest clinical trials, no candidate's vaccine has shown clear evidence of
efficacy at a level of at least 50.
Russia formally approved a vaccine for
Covid 19 in August after less than two months of human testing, prompting some
Western experts to question its safety and effectiveness.
On Thursday, U.S. public health officials
and Pfizer Inc. said a vaccine could be ready for distribution by the end of
October. This will be just before the November 3 US election, in which voters
are deciding whether this is a major factor in the epidemic, in which it is
being decided whether President Donald Trump will win a second term.
"We really don't expect to see
widespread vaccinations until the middle of next year," Harris told a US
briefing in Geneva.
"This stage should take 3 more
minutes because we need to see how safe this vaccine really is and we also need
to see how safe it is," he added. It refers to the phase of vaccine
research where large clinical trials are conducted’ in humans. Harris did not
name a specific vaccine candidate.
Harris said it was important to share and
compare all data from the trial. "A lot of people have been vaccinated and
what we don't know is whether the vaccine works ... at this stage we don't have
a clear indication of whether it has a significant level of efficacy and safety.
“he added.
The WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance are
leading a global vaccine allocation project called COVAX, which aims to help
buy and distribute shots fairly. First of all, every country is focusing on
vaccinating high-risk people, such as health care workers.
Covax aims to buy and supply 2 billion
doses of approved vaccine by the end of 2021, but some countries that have
secured their supply through bilateral agreements, including the United States,
have said they will not join.
"Basically, the door is open. We're
open. What Kovacs is talking about is ensuring that everyone on the planet has
access to the vaccine," Harris said.
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