Amid a concerning statement, the top global public health body said that even though a vaccine can be a “vital tool” to fight the raging pandemic, its utilization alone will not end the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization also said there’s no guarantee that scientists will be able to develop an efficient vaccine at all.
The director-general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said during a media briefing on Monday, “A vaccinewill complement the other tools we have, not replace them. A vaccine on its own will not end the pandemic.”
He said that leaders of all nations with the cooperation and cumulative support of its citizens must work towards managing the disease as making it a part and parcel of the normal life through changes in their lifestyles is the only way to flatten the virus curve.
Speaking from the WHO headquarters of Geneva, Mr. Tedros said that there is absolutely no chance of people going back to way they used to live in precovid times as the situation demands altering daily lives to protect oneself.
Events in the world history like infection outbreaks and pandemics have proven to shattle economies and change societies, he added, “In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic has given new impetus to the need to accelerate efforts to respond to climate change. The Covid-19 pandemic has given us a glimpse of our world as it could be: cleaner skies and rivers.”
The deadly virus has caught on to over 22.7 million people across the globe and captured the lives of nearly 9,95,000 within a span of 7 months.
According to the WHO, atleast 39 vaccines are currently getting developed under the clinical trial phase yet none guarantee a completely safe and efficient functionality.
Despite many vaccines promising good results in the initial phases, according to scientists, major mysteries regarding the infection still remain unsolved. This includes as to how the virus affects the human body, the parameters whose presence or absence can protect a person or make him more vulnerable, on what basis does a person’s protection against reinfection depend on and many such questions.
In a previous statement, Mr. Tedros mentioned the nonexistence of any “silver bullet” to help fight coronavirus. He said that such a thing might never even be.
Practicing the “basics” of public health and disease control can help countries to curb the development of new infections, he had said while adding that testing, isolating and treating along with tracing and quarantining of contacts is necessary to achieve the same.
Calling every person’s contribution as important in the fight with the virus, the WHO director-general said on Friday that “every single person” can help and make a difference in these difficult times.
“Every person and family has a responsibility to know the level of Covid-19 transmission locally and to understand what they can do to protect themselves and others,” he said.
Head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, while speaking about the importance for people to learn to live with the pandemic, said the adaptation will help in reducing the transmission, identify cases and clusters of infections better to be able to treat them as fast as possible to avoid loss of lives.