The World Health Organization’s (WHO) head on Friday said that the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year if the world meets the 70 percent vaccination target, reported The TRT World.
“Our expectation is that the acute phase of this pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition, the 70 percent vaccination (target is achieved) by mid this year around June, July,” the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters in South Africa. “If that is to be done, the acute phase can really end, and that is what we are expecting. It’s in our hands. It’s not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice.”
Tedros, who was on a visit to Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, which has produced the first mRNA Covid vaccine made in Africa using Moderna’s sequence, said he expects the vaccine to be more suited to the contexts in which it will be used, with fewer storage constraints and at a lower price.
The tech transfer hub, which was set up in July, will assist other countries and hand out production licenses to poor nations for manufacturing life-saving shots.
Tedros said the UN health body was committed to supporting the development of local manufacturing in Africa and around the world, in a bid to increase regional health security.
The vaccine is likely to be all set for clinical trials in November and is expected to get approval in 2024.
Notably, Africa accounts for the lowest vaccination rate in the world, with just 11 percent of Africans vaccinated so far.
Last week the WHO’s Africa office said the continent must boost its vaccination rate to up to six times to reach the 70 percent target.
Earlier this week, the WHO Covid-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove warned that the Omicron will not be the last one and the possibility of other new variants is really high.
