MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2020) Starting trials of vaccines against the novel coronavirus a mere two months after its genetic sequence had been shared internationally is an "incredible achievement," World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
"The first vaccine trial has begun, just 60 days after the genetic sequence of the virus was shared by China. This is an incredible achievement. We commend the researchers around the world who have come together to systematically evaluate experimental therapeutics," Tedros said at a press conference in Geneva.
He further inaugurated a WHO-led global research initiative, dubbed the Solidarity Trial, to compare the vaccines under development to one another and figure out which treatment is the most effective in tackling the rampant coronavirus.
Two months is indeed unexpectedly soon, given that last month WHO officials warned that the first trials of COVID-19 vaccines should be expected no sooner than in 3-4 months, and a public roll-out no sooner than in 12-18 months.
The global effort to develop vaccines and therapeutics is unfolding amid the spiking figures of infection, with its epicenter now shifted from China to Europe. More than 200,000 cases have reported globally, as of Wednesday, with over 8,000 fatalities, which is nearly double than two weeks ago.
Wednesday saw figures in two European countries spike to new records simultaneously. In Italy, with over 28,000 verified cases, the number of fatalities rose by 475 in just one day to 3,000. Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, 676 new cases were reported, bringing the total to 2,626.
