The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the first use of COVID-19 vaccinations cannot be expected until early 2021. The statement comes at a time when over 150 COVID-19 vaccines are at different stages of development, with a few advancing to the late-stage clinical trial.
WHO is working to ensure fair vaccine distribution, but in the meantime, it is key to suppress the virus' spread, Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies programme said. We are making good progress, he said, adding that several vaccines are now in phase 3 trials and none had failed, so far, in terms of safety or ability to generate an immune response.
"Realistically it is going to be the first part of next year before we start seeing people getting vaccinated," he said.
Ryan said WHO is working to expand access to potential vaccines and help scale-up production capacity. "And we need to be fair about this because this is a global good. Vaccines for this pandemic are not for the wealthy, they are not for the poor, they are for everybody," he said.
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