You Can No Longer Sacrifice Quality For The Speed Of The COVID-19 Vaccine

Photo illustration (CDC / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO) reminded that the safety of the potential vaccine for COVID-19 is "first and foremost." The statement was made after the AstraZeneca vaccine trial was temporarily suspended due to concerns about the side effects of the vaccine.

The launch of the vaccine as quickly as possible has been seen as an important step to launch Reuters on Wednesday, September 9. This aims to protect people from exposure to viruses and be safe in their daily activities, including driving the economy. The economies of various countries are currently battered by the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced them to limit their activities.

"Just because we talk about speed doesn't mean we start compromising or taking shortcuts on what is usually judged," says Dr. Soumya Swaminathan.

"The process still has to follow the rules. For drugs and vaccines that are given to the public, their safety must be tested first and that is the main thing, "he added.

WHO officials did not immediately respond to AstraZeneca's steps to halt global trials, including large, late-stage trials. It is known that the vaccine exhibited a side effect that the study participants could not explain. This is despite the fact that the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University had previously been described by WHO as the leading and most advanced candidate in terms of development.

WHO is gathering support for a global coalition, called the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT), with the hope of distributing vaccines, treatments and diagnostics fairly to rich and poor countries. In addition to the 92 low-income countries seeking assistance, some 79 wealthy nations have expressed interest, with a September 18 deadline for binding commitments.

But several countries that have reached vaccine deals of their own, including the United States (US), decided not to join the WHO effort. The ACT vaccine pillar, called COVAX, hopes to get enough of the vaccine to deliver two billion doses by the end of 2021, although concrete fundraising has so far been far from over.

Volume purchases and possibly tiered pricing offered by some manufacturers could help make vaccines more affordable, Swaminathan said. “You have to come together. The bottom line, if every country and every organization tries to do this on their own, it will be long and difficult and difficult ... This is the first time the world needs a vaccine in billions of doses, "said Swaminathan.

Meanwhile, another country that has confidence in its COVID-19 vaccine is Russia. On August 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that they approved a COVID-19 vaccine called Sputnik V. This vaccine is the fastest progression so far. Putin said the vaccine was proven safe and effective. He even plans to start mass vaccinations in October.