No guarantee if COVID-19 vaccine in development will work, says WHO Chief

Geneva: World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the top health body does not guarantee if the vaccine which is in development for COVID-19 will work.

His statement comes at a time when health experts across the globe are racing to develop antidotes for the dreadful virus.

''The more candidates we test, the higher the change we have for a safe and efficacious vaccine'' said WHO chief during a virtual press briefing.

He also added that almost 200 vaccines for the virus are presently in clinical and pre-clinical testing. The history of vaccine development tells that some of them will fail while some will succeed.

The WHO, in collaboration with global vaccine alliance group Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), has launched a scheme COVAX with an aim to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines and enable equal distribution of the vaccines in every corner of the world.

"The Covax facility will help bring the pandemic under control, save lives and escalate the economic recovery, and ensure that the race for Covid-19 vaccine is a collaboration, not a contest,'' said Ghebreyesus.

While countries are moving ahead to find a vaccine for the deadly virus, the WHO chief urged the nations to work as a team and end the pandemic by accelerating the global economic recovery to ensure that people are vaccinated in all countries. '' This is not charity. It is in every country's best interest. We sink or we swim together'' added the WHO Chief.

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