Covid-19 vaccine may not be ready until the end of 2021, WHO says

Name: Worldwide Covid-19 death toll surpasses 1 million
Uploaded: 2020-10-06T10:06:11.000Z
Duration: 6 min 3 s
Description: Worldwide Covid-19 death toll surpasses 1 million

That’s the COVAX target for the first 2 billion doses, based on progress of trials in the global scheme, according to official

Western Pacific regional coordinator also says China is in talks to have its experimental vaccines assessed for emergency use

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An experimental vaccine made by Sinovac is one of four Chinese candidates in the final stage of clinical trials. China has held preliminary discussions with the WHO to have its vaccines included in a list for emergency use. Photo: AP

Agencies

Published: 6:06pm, 6 Oct 2020Updated: 10:57pm, 6 Oct 2020

The World Health Organization on Tuesday said a vaccine for the disease caused by the new coronavirus could come as late as the end of 2021, dampening hopes from the group’s earlier prediction that it may be available by the middle of next year.

WHO Western Pacific regional coordinator Socorro Escalante said that going by the target date of COVAX, a WHO-led global scheme for fair distribution of future vaccines against Covid-19, a widespread and affordable vaccine would not be available in the market for more than a year.

“When we are looking at the target of COVAX, it’s by the end of 2021 that they are trying to come up with the first 2 billion doses that will be allocated to all countries who are participating,” Escalante said, based on the current progress of vaccine trials under the scheme.

In September, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters that widespread vaccinations were not expected until the middle of next year.

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Worldwide Covid-19 death toll surpasses 1 million

The latest remark from Escalante pushes the prospect of its availability by several months, indicating that a longer wait time is needed to curb the spread of the virus through a vaccine.