By Wilson Wambua
The World Health Organization(WHO) will give priority to the vulnerable groups once a Covid 19 vaccine is found. WHO regional director in Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said patients with diabetics, high blood pressure and the aged will be in the first line of the vaccine procedure.
Moeti said 100 vaccines are being tried out. Since the pandemic broke out, WHO has spent. Partnered with governments to fund research and innovation. Africa has been stunned by a fresh Covid 19 wave, considered more deadly than the previous one.
Since early this year the world has been in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic. WHO and partners have been working together on the response tracking the pandemic, advising on critical interventions, distributing vital medical supplies to those in
need.
They are also racing to find a vaccine. Vaccines save millions of lives each year. Vaccines work by training and preparing
the body`s natural defences—the immune system — to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. If the body is exposed to those disease causing germs later, the body is ready to destroy them preventing illness.
There are currently more than 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development, with a number of these in the human trial phase. WHO is working in collaboration with scientists, business & global health organizations through the ACT accelerator to speed up the pandemic response.
WHO says when a safe and effective vaccine is found, COVAX (led by WHO, GAVI & CEPI) will facilitate the equitable access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries. People most at risk will be prioritized.
R&D Blueprint; The R&D Blueprint was activated to accelerate diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for this novel coronavirus. The Blueprint aims to improve coordination between scientists and global health professionals, accelerate the research and development process, and develop new norms and standards to learn from and improve upon the global response.
Draft landscape of COVID-19 vaccine candidates The draft landscape of COVID-19 vaccine candidates contains information on
vaccine candidates collected through public information (e.g. clinical trial registries) and information that were directly provided by vaccine developers to WHO. The landscape is generally updated twice a week, based on the latest information, including those we receive from scientists and research.
