Recently over 2000 scientists from 130 countries gathered in a virtual forum hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify knowledge gaps and set research priorities for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The scientists at the forum discussed the safety and efficacy of existing vaccines and new candidates, ways to optimize limited supply, and the need for additional safety studies.
Speaking at the virtual event, the Director General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “The development and approval of several safe and effective vaccines less than a year after this virus was isolated and sequenced is an astounding scientific accomplishment.”
In his remarks, he stated further, “The approval of the first few vaccines does not mean the job is done. Far from it. More vaccines are in the pipeline, which must be evaluated to ensure we have enough doses to vaccinate everyone.”
More than 30 million vaccine doses have already been administered in 47 mostly high-income countries. But the global vaccine rollout has exposed glaring inequalities in access to this life-saving tool.
Dr John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention at the forum said, “The spirit of collaboration has to prevail in these challenging times as we seek to understand this virus. We have to be mindful of the inequalities and we must deliberately promote investment in regional capacities to level the playing field and have meaningful collaboration to begin to address some of the challenges.”
Experts agreed the need for critical research on administering vaccines in different target populations, as well as on vaccination delivery strategies and schedules. This includes trials, modelling and observational studies, all of which would help to inform policy.
They discussed the impact of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants on the efficacy of vaccines, the impact of vaccines on transmission of infection, and the need to develop the next generation of vaccine platforms.
Meanwhile the total recorded case as at Wednesday, January 20, 2020, stood at 96,866,587 while recorded death was 2,072,466 and recovered cases; 69,478,239.
