WHO hopeful COVID-19 vaccine ready by year-end

Published Oct 7, 2020 9:07:13 AM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 7) — The head of the World Health Organization remains hopeful that a vaccine to protect the public against the highly-infectious coronavirus may be ready before the end of 2020.

“There is hope that by the end of this year, we may have a vaccine. There is hope,” Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in final remarks to the WHO’s Executive Board on Tuesday.

Ready, however, does not necessarily mean the vaccine will be immediately available in the Philippines. The country’s regulatory agency sees that the vaccine may be ready only by April 2021 — if everything goes as planned.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo has said that this timeline is the “best case scenario” if clinical trials, including the WHO Solidarity Trial, will be completed in the shortest time possible. He added that this is only possible if the manufacturers pass all the requirements and submit proper documents to Philippine agencies.

For Secretary Fortunato dela Peña of the Department of Science and Technology, the “very early forecast” is second quarter of 2021.

Dr. Socorro Escalante, COVID-19 incident manager of the WHO Western Pacific region, mentioned the same timeline as the DOST Chief. But she also said the COVID-19 vaccine could come in as late as end of 2021.

“Generally, when we are going to look at the target of COVAX, it is by end of 2021 that they are trying to come up with the first 2 billion doses that will be allocated to all countries who will be participating in the COVAX,” she said in a media briefing. The Philippines is participating in COVAX, a global collaboration to fast-track the development and production of new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, as well as ensure equitable access to them.

She said the initial rollout of approved vaccines may only cover 20 percent of the population. With the limited doses to produced initially, WHO-Western Pacific Region Program for Disease Control Director Dr. Huong Tran said the first doses of vaccines will go to the high-risk groups, such as the vulnerable population, aging population, and healthcare workers.

Tedros underscored the importance of political commitment from the nations’ leaders to ensure equal distribution of vaccines once it is available. He also said the world must unite to recover as one even as the pandemic rages on.

“The most important tool is political commitment from our leaders, especially in the equitable distribution of the vaccines. Political commitment, it will be crucial. Solidarity, solidarity, solidarity, it starts from national unity,” he stressed.

There are 193 candidate vaccines under trial, 42 of which are in advanced stages. Ten others are already in Phase 3 clinical trials — which tests the safety and efficacy of drugs in a larger group of people.

The global tally of coronavirus cases has reached over 35.6 million, killing more than 1.04 million people worldwide.

SOURCE: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/10/7/WHO-COVID-19-vaccine.html