Hopes from vaccine to end this pandemic: WHO
“There is now real hope that vaccines, in combination with other tried and tested public health measures, will help to end the pandemic,” said the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO chief’s remarks came after drug maker AstraZeneca said on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine, developed with Oxford University, was up to 90 percent effective, making it the third major drug company after Pfizer and Moderna to have reported late-stage data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.
“The significance of this scientific achievement cannot be overstated. No vaccines in history have been developed as rapidly as these. The scientific community has set a new standard for vaccine development,” Tedros added.
60 mn Filipinos to be vaccinated next year
Philippine officials say about 60 million Filipinos are being targeted for vaccination against the coronavirus next year at a cost of more than 73 billion pesos (USD 1.4 billion) to develop considerable immunity among a majority of Filipinos.
Carlito Galvez Jr., who oversees government efforts to secure the vaccines, said late Monday that negotiations were underway with four Western and Chinese pharmaceutical companies, including U.S.-based Pfizer Inc. and China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd., to secure the vaccines early next year. One company based in the U.K., AstraZeneca, can commit to supply up to 20 million vaccines, he said.
