Corona vaccine could be ready by the end of the year: WHO chief

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday raised hopes for a corona virus vaccine saying there will be a corona virus vaccine by the end of 2020.

“The Pfizer one (vaccine) is a very promising one, we also expect more and more,” said Tedros. He reiterated the United Nations agency’s call for an equitable distribution of vaccine doses once they are available.

He also said that the WHO team studying the origin of virus has experts from US, Russia, Australia, Sudan, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Vietnam and Britain.

WHO’s Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa, also expressed the same opinion in the WHO ministerial assembly: “The exciting news yesterday (Monday) of a possible effective vaccine becoming available presages significant cold chains challenges for African countries by the type of vaccine that that is. Which will need to be factored into the support to be provided.”

WHO chief also referred newly elected US administration and said he is looking forward to working closely with the administration of US President-elect Joe Biden. Tedros also appreciated the move to strengthen the Geneva-based body through reforms.

“We welcome the encouraging vaccine news from @pfizer & @BioNTech_Group & salute all scientists & partners around the who are developing new safe, efficacious tools to beat #COVID19,” WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet.

“The world is experiencing unprecedented scientific innovation & collaboration to end the pandemic,” he said.