WHO chief urges nations to denounce vaccine nationalism, reiterates effective use

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday, September 4 reiterated his call for effective use of the COVID-19 vaccine. Tedros said that when the COVID-19 vaccine is available, countries must use it effectively and priority must be given to essential health workers as initially, the supply will be limited. 

The UN health agency chief also slammed countries for making the vaccine race a matter of national pride adding that it will only prolong the pandemic rather than shortening it. Earlier on August 11, Russia announced its coronavirus vaccine and touted it as"world's first COVID-19 vaccine" with scientists in the country even equating it with the space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. The Russian vaccine was thereby named 'Sputnik V'. 

Read: Brazil's Leader Alarms Critics With COVID-19 Vaccine Doubts

Read: Russia In Talks With India, Drug Manufacturers For Sputnik-V Vaccine's Production: RDIF

'Vaccine nationalism' 

"If and when we have an effective COVID-19 vaccine, we must also use it effectively. The first priority must be to vaccinate some people in all countries, rather than all people in some countries. So, using vaccines as a global public good is in the national interest of each and every country. Vaccine nationalism will prolong the pandemic, not shorten it," Tedros said during his COVID-19 press briefing on Friday. 

Read: WHO Will Not Endorse Any Vaccine Unless Proven Safe

The WHO had earlier said that it will not endorse any vaccine until proven safe for use. Tedros further added that with "national unity" and "global solidarity" we can end the pandemic, which has raged havoc across the world in the past eight months infecting more than 26 million people and claiming over 8,72,000 lives globally.

According to WHO, more than 150 potential coronavirus vaccines are being developed by various countries across the world, with the most advanced being Oxford's and AstraZeneca's ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222). 

Read: Russian COVID-19 Vaccine 'Sputnik V' Trial Results Show Strong Immune Response: Study