A World Health Organization (WHO) official warned that the collective immunity of the COVID-19 vaccines will not happen this year and that physical distance and the use of masks should continue in 2022.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said the rapid development of vaccines is proof for scientists around the world, but warned that increasing production on a global scale takes time.
“Vaccines will arrive. They will go to all countries, but in the meantime, we must not forget that there are measures that work,” such as masks and physical distance, said Swaminathan during a news conference on Monday.
“It is very important to remind people, both government and individuals, of the responsibilities and measures that we need to practice at least until the end of this year, because even if vaccines begin to protect the most vulnerable, we will not achieve any levels of immunity population, collective immunity, in 2021 “, she said.
Swaminathan noted that it will take a long time for low- and middle-income countries to have enough doses to fully protect their populations. Herd immunity is a global problem, she said.
“Even if it happens in some pockets in some countries, it will not protect people around the world,” said Swaminathan.
WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward said that the problem with poor countries at the moment is not the number of starting doses that will be available, but how quickly they can be administered to health professionals and other vulnerable people.
Aylward said the WHO-supported COVAX initiative for low-income countries has ordered 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with options for an additional 1 billion.
“The problem is not the lack of vaccines we are asking for, the important thing is the time to obtain at least some of these doses well in advance to protect health professionals on the front lines of these countries, as well as the older populations and others who are at risk of dying, “said Aylward.
Aylward noted that virtually all countries that have started vaccinating people against COVID-19 are wealthy, such as the United States, Israel, Britain and China.
Without the cooperation of manufacturers, however, the concern is that rich countries will stock up on all available vaccines, leaving the 92 low- and low-middle-income nations that make up COVAX without the ability to help their citizens.
“At the moment, we have an unfair situation,” said Aylward
“We hope and are very confident that we will be able to start vaccinating in February in these countries,” added Aylward. “But we cannot do this alone. We require the cooperation of vaccine manufacturers to prioritize deliveries to COVAX facilities. “