WHO Even the most prepared countries fight vaccines

The Director of Immunization and Vaccines at the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Katherine O'Brien, has stated that even the most prepared countries are fighting with COVID-19 vaccines. According to the Anadolu Agency, O'Brien attended a press conference hosted by ACANU (UN Press Association in Geneva), along with Seth Berkley, chief executive of the Gavi International Vaccine Alliance, which is seeking access to poor countries. "We have already made considerable progress in ensuring that vaccines are safe, effective and of high quality," said O'Brien, adding that vaccines are starting to be available worldwide. "This is not a small enterprise. Even the most prepared and highly skilled countries are struggling to deliver these vaccines. "This scenario will need strength, energy and expertise from around the world to support countries to do so effectively," O'Brien said. According to her, the world is aware that most vaccines are distributed in the developed world. On the other hand, Berkley said Gavi believes the COVAX instrument worldwide could deliver nearly 2.3 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this year. At the beginning of the pandemic, the WHO established the ACT-Accelerator program, known as COVAX, with the aim of speeding up the search for an effective vaccine for all countries, including the most vulnerable. "Of these, about 1.8 billion doses may be available to lower-income countries at no cost to their governments, including over 700 million doses for African nations," Berkley said. He further stressed that they are trying to meet their vaccination target of 20 percent of the population of each low-income country, respectively to protect at least health workers and the most vulnerable groups.