MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2020) The most effective rollout of COVID-19 vaccines would see the immunization of a proportion of the world's population at the same time, rather than creating pockets where high numbers of people in one country are vaccinated, Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Thursday.
Aylward stated that this method would ease pressure on health systems across the globe and aid the economic recovery following months of lockdown measures.
"What we've got to do is get pressure off the health systems because that's been what the real drag on the economies have been. In the course of doing that we'll save lives. And we can do that ... by vaccinating a proportion of the global population together much more effectively than if we were to try and do pockets of it, completely, one at a time," the senior adviser remarked.
An increasing number of countries have got in contact with the WHO over recent months to inquire about the possibility of extending vaccine coverage across the globe, the adviser added.
"Over the last couple of months, there's been an increase in recognition among countries that it is not enough to vaccinate their own populations and they're also recognizing that they don't need to vaccinate their whole populations immediately," Aylward remarked.
The senior adviser also said that the number of countries concluding deals with pharmaceutical companies for the purchase of vaccines was encouraging, given that it will give manufacturers the confidence to increase their production capability.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that a deal had been reached with pharma firm Moderna to deliver 100 million doses of their candidate vaccine against the coronavirus disease once it becomes available.
The United Kingdom has also signed deals with three vaccine manufacturers for a total of 190 million doses.
