February 22nd local time, the WHO held a regular COVID-19 press conference. WHO Director-General Tedros Tedros said that this year’s Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator will at least There is a funding gap of $22.9 billion, but funding is not the only challenge now.
Some high-income countries have signed contracts with vaccine manufacturers, breaking the existing agreement of the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan and reducing the dose of vaccines available for purchase by the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan.
Tedros stressed that vaccines can only be sent to poor countries if high-income countries respect the agreement signed by the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan. This is not a charity, but an epidemiological problem.
The pandemic will not disappear unless we end the COVID-19 pandemic in all parts of the world. The longer the virus spreads, the more opportunities it will change, which may lead to a decrease in vaccine effectiveness.
At present, more coronavirus vaccines are being developed and produced around the world, and there are enough vaccines for everyone to vacculate in the future. But this year’s coronavirus vaccine will remain limited and must be used strategically.
Tedros called on countries to provide more funds and share the coronavirus vaccine.
Vaccine manufacturers should give priority to providing vaccines for the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan, and also need to increase vaccine production significantly.
