WHO: Countries With Resilience To Vaccine Stocks Will Cause A Prolonged Pandemic

JAKARTA - It is not only a British non-profit organization, Oxfam, that realizes that more than half of the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine is controlled by rich countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) smells the same thing. WHO Director General (Dirjen) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said fighting a pandemic means ensuring everyone has access to vaccines, even people in the poorest countries.

Launching CNA, Monday, October 26, this was revealed by Tedros at the 2020 World Health Summit forum in Germany. Concern for a small country, said Tedros, is the key to a successful recovery from the pandemic.

"It's natural that countries want to protect their own citizens first. But when we have vaccines, we also have to use them effectively. And the best way to do that is to vaccinate some people in all countries rather than all people in some countries," he said.

"Let me be clear, controlling vaccine stocks will prolong the pandemic, not shorten it," he added.

Previously, scientists around the world seemed to be competing to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Of the several dozen vaccines currently in clinical trials, ten are already in phase III trials.

It was noted that several rich countries were ordering large quantities of vaccines. Some of them have the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and others as. Because of this, WHO is concerned that countries with smaller wallets will not be able to access vaccines properly.

Not only about cooperation. WHO also called on countries in the world to take further action to break the chain of the spread of COVID-19. This is because in just last Saturday, the COVID-19 pandemic in the world reached an increase of 465,319 cases.

"This is a dangerous moment for many countries in the northern hemisphere as cases have risen sharply," said Tedros.

However, Tedros again emphasized the importance of making people follow health protocols. Such as maintaining physical distance, washing hands, and trying to hold meetings outside the room.

"Time and again we have seen that taking the right action quickly means an outbreak can be managed," concluded Tedros.

In line with that, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, in the same forum also revealed that COVID-19 has become the biggest crisis in today's times. "We need global solidarity at every step of the way."

He also echoed calls for developed countries to support poor countries that have fewer resources. Guterres thinks a vaccine should become a global public good, not a number of countries.

"Vaccines, tests and therapies are more than just lifesavers. They are saviors of the economy and saviors of society," concluded Guterres.