COVID-9 vaccine could change direction of pandemic: WHO

NEW DELHI: Bruce Aylward, Director General, Polio and Emergency cluster, World Health Organisation (WHO) said that a COVID-19 vaccine may be rolled out by March 2021 to the masses. He added that it could certainly change the course of the pandemic. He also added in WHO’s annual ministerial assembly that interim results from last stage vaccine trials of Pfizer Inc, are “very positive”.

Aylward said that there is still a lot of work to be done as this is just the interim results but some positive results have come which should hold a better future for the entire world as we move forward. Pfizer has announced that its vaccine in partnership with BioNTech, is more than 90 per cent effective in curbing the COVID-19 infection.

In his address, Aylward also referred to all three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 tools (ACT) Accelrator launched in April. He said that in diagnostics the organisation is in position to expand testing globally, and there are enough tools to reduce the mortality rate from COVID-19. He also addressed the gap of $4.5 billion in funding which could slow access to tests, medicines and vaccines in low and middle-income countries.