Global Covid Report: Young and Healthy May Not Get Vaccine Until 2022, WHO Says
Source: The Guardian
First vaccines will be in limited quantities and for those at greatest risk; Germany records its worst ever daily case toll.
Healthy, young people may have to wait until 2022 to be vaccinated against coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, who says health workers and those at highest risks be prioritised. It comes as Germany recorded its highest daily number of infections since the start of the pandemic.
Soumya Swaminathan indicated that, despite the many vaccine trials being undertaken, speedy, mass shots were unlikely, and organising who would given access first in the event of a safe vaccine being discovered was still being worked on. “Most people agree, it’s starting with healthcare workers, and frontline workers, but even there, you need to define which of them are at highest risk, and then the elderly, and so on,” Swaminathan said.
“There will be a lot of guidance coming out, but I think an average person, a healthy young person might have to wait until 2022 to get a vaccine,” she said. Swaminathan hoped there would be at least one effective vaccine by 2021 but it would be available only in “limited quantities”.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/15/global-covid-report-young-and-healthy-may-not-get-vaccine-until-2022-who-says
Global infections stand at 38.4 million, with deaths at 1.09 million. On both counts the US leads with just under 8 million infections and more than 216,000 deaths.
Dr David Nabarro, WHO’s special envoy on Covid-19, was also critical of US handing of the virus, in an interview with Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC. Asked about Trump’s return to the campaign trail, in which he claimed he was now immune, he said:
“It’s quite hard to encourage everybody to behave in a way that enables them to keep free of the virus if there are public figures who are suggesting that they can behave differently.”
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- World Health Organization (WHO) Chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan on January 12, 2020 in Geneva.
- CNBC, 'Healthy young people might not be able to get the coronavirus vaccine until 2022,' WHO says, Oct. 14, 2020.
Healthy young people might not get the coronavirus vaccine until 2022 as public health officials focus on immunizing the elderly and other vulnerable groups first, top officials from the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s chief scientist, said health workers, frontline workers and the elderly will likely be offered a vaccine first, though prioritization details are still being worked out by the WHO and its advisory groups. And, of course, a vaccine for the virus has yet to be deemed safe and effective by the WHO, the European Union or the United States.
“People tend to think that on the first of January or the first of April, I’m going to get the vaccine, and then things will be back to normal,” Swaminathan said. “It’s not going to work like that.” She added that the world will hopefully have at least one safe and effective vaccine by 2021, but it will be available in “limited quantities.”
More than 10 coronavirus vaccines around the world are in late-stage clinical trials, Swaminathan said, adding that as various vaccines are potentially cleared for distribution, SAGE will release guidance on what populations each vaccine is best suited for and how to logistically distribute it..Like the WHO, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are preparing to prioritize certain at-risk communities for distribution of the scarce doses. But the U.S. timeline will likely look very different from that of the WHO.
The U.S. has independently secured hundreds of millions of doses from six companies with potential vaccines in development. Top U.S. health officials have said that the U.S. could have enough doses to vaccinate every American by spring of 2021, with limited distribution for prioritized groups beginning potentially this year. In contrast, the WHO has launched what they call the COVAX program to guarantee fair access to the supply of vaccine doses for the entire world. More than 170 countries, including China and the United Kingdom, have invested in the facility, which disperses the risks and potential benefits of vaccine development across its members.
..But any plans for vaccine distribution is of course contingent upon first getting a vaccine that is both safe and effective. The WHO’s comments come days after Johnson & Johnson announced a pause on their late-stage vaccine trial due to safety concerns. And AstraZeneca’s late-stage trial in the U.S. remains on hold after it was halted last month...
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/14/coronavirus-healthy-young-people-might-not-be-able-to-get-the-vaccine-until-2022-who-says.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
We may see a vaccine next spring if "all of the vaccines that are in clinical trials have proven to be safe and effective," Dr. Fauci said.
Here's hoping! Welcome to DU! 
