WHO In Touch With CDC About Airborne Virus Transmission Removed from Website

The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday that the group aims to have two billion doses of vaccine available by the end of 2021.

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Tedros said collaboration in producing and distributing a vaccine was “in every country’s best interest.”

“We sink or swim together,” he said, adding that the fastest route to ending the pandemic is “to ensure some people are vaccinated in all countries, not all people in some countries.”

The Director-General’s comments come as many countries, especially those in Europe, are experiencing a second spike in new infections following the ending of many national lockdowns.

The WHO said countries representing 60% of the world’s population have signed up to its “COVAX” scheme to buy coronavirus vaccines, but also said they need billions of dollars to pay for them.

Many countries, including China, the US, Russia, France and Germany, have signed their own agreements with vaccine makers and have opted out of using the facility.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said though a vaccine with 50% efficacy would be enough to “classify as an effective vaccine”, 70% and above was more ideal.

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