The heads of US pharmaceutical company Moderna and the Gavi vaccine alliance said on Wednesday that there is a decline in demand for vaccines against COVID-19, urging countries to stay alert as there is always a threat of new pandemics
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2023) The heads of US pharmaceutical company Moderna and the Gavi vaccine alliance said on Wednesday that there is a decline in demand for vaccines against COVID-19, urging countries to stay alert as there is always a threat of new pandemics.
"The problem we have right now is since the beginning of 2022, we've had enough vaccines to provide whatever countries want. The challenge has been getting the demand. Part of the world says: 'We are done with COVID.' Of course, the virus is not done with us, and what we really need to do is make sure that policymakers understand that we are continuing to see new variants," Gavi CEO Franklin Berkley said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel supported the vaccine distributor, saying that governments should remain focused due to the looming threat of new pandemics.
"We all know there will be other (infection) outbreaks, there will be other pandemics, and we need to be much better prepared at that time," Bancel told the forum.
Michelle Williams, a US epidemiologist from Harvard University, said during the discussion that marketing is needed so that people are encouraged to make vaccines.
"Marketing, I hate to use the word, but it is a kind of marketing for public health, where you are encouraging people to do the thing in their best interest, society's best interest, and making them feel good about it," the epidemiologist said.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine manufacturers advertised the 100 percent effectiveness of jabs against COVID-19, according to media reports. However, media outlets later reported lower effectiveness rates. For instance, in February 2022, CNBC reported that the Pfizer vaccine against coronavirus was only 12% effective for children aged 5-7 years.
