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“It may not be until 2022 that the world will really start to think about returning to life before the COVID-19 pandemic,” says World Health Organization scientific director Dr. Soumya Swaminathan. This means that we will have to wear masks, distance and other means of protection against SARS-CoV-2 all this time.
- Soumya Swaminathan: Don’t expect the COVID-19 vaccine number to be high enough for life to return to normal by 2022
- By the middle of next year, it is possible to collect hundreds of millions of doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. This is too small a number to give up the need for social distancing and wearing masks. It will be possible when approx. 2 billion doses of the vaccine are collected, i.e. by the end of 2021
- These precautions will also have to apply once the vaccine starts spreading to the population. «To significantly reduce the number of infections, immunity must acquire 60 percent. up to 70 percent population »
“People think we will have a vaccine in January and everything will be back to normal – that’s not how it works”
The whole world has high hopes for the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. But will its invention and dissemination allow it to quickly return to normal pre-COVID-19 pandemic? It turns out that not necessarily. Why? This was explained by the Scientific Director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, at a virtual press conference on September 15th.
“ Don’t expect the COVID-19 vaccine number to be large enough for life to return to normal before 2022, ” Soumya Swaminathan predicts. does not work – said the expert.
As noted on September 15, the WHO Covax initiative (a resource pooling mechanism that ensures equitable access to vaccines for countries with different wealth levels) is able to collect hundreds of millions of doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine by the middle of next year. However, this is too small a number to give up the need for social distancing and wearing masks. It will be possible when approx. 2 billion doses of the vaccine are collected, i.e. by the end of 2021.
- How are the efficacy and safety of vaccines studied? Expert: It never ends
These precautions will also have to apply once the vaccine starts spreading to the population. – To significantly reduce the number of infections, immunity must acquire 60 percent. up to 70 percent population, emphasizes Swaminathan. The scientist also points to another problem: – We also do not know how long these vaccines will protect – this is another big question mark: how long does immunity last?
Swaminathan added that she did not think the coronavirus would become a seasonal virus over time. In her opinion, instead, one can expect increases and decreases in SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Use of vaccines in emergency situations
As the South China Morning Post points out, Swaminathan said that soon the World Health Organization plans to issue guidelines for the use in emergency and emergency situations of vaccines that have not yet been approved.
– All ongoing studies are monitored for at least 12 months, if not longer. This is the time needed to make sure that the use of the vaccine does not cause long-term serious side effects, she explained. – As we are dealing with a pandemic, it is possible that there will be a need for an emergency use list, which is understandable. In this regard, however, it is necessary to set certain criteria.
- Which country will win the race for the COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s what we know today
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan noted that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon issue guidelines for emergency use. It is also known that China is using three vaccines on civilians on the basis of an emergency authorization (one vaccine is also known to be used exclusively by the military).
When asked about these actions, Swaminathan replied that the national regulatory authorities in the country concerned had the power to do so. However, she added that they should set a deadline for companies to submit research results. In the event that the last step of the tests does not meet the requirements, the license for emergency vaccines should be withdrawn.
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