The World Health Organization (WHO) believes the global death toll from Covid-19 could double to 2 million before a successful vaccine is widely used and could be even higher without concerted action to curb the pandemic. Head of the agency's emergencies programme, Mike Ryan said, “Unless we do it all, (2 million deaths) is not only imaginable, but sadly very likely.” He added, “We are not out of the woods anywhere, we are not out of the woods in Africa.”
Ryan said young people should not be blamed for a recent increase in infections despite growing concerns that they are driving its spread after restrictions and lockdowns were eased around the world. “I really hope we don't get into finger wagging, it's all because of the youth. The last thing a young person needs is an old person pontificating and wagging the finger.” He said it is rather indoor gatherings of people of all ages driving the epidemic.
The organization is currently in talks with China about its possible involvement in the COVAX financing scheme designed to guarantee fast and equitable access globally to Covid -19 vaccines. WHO senior adviser and head of the ACT-Accelerator programme to back vaccines, treatments and diagnostics against Covid-19, Bruce Aylward said, “We're in discussions with China about the role they may play as we go forward.” He confirmed that Taiwan has signed up to the scheme, even though it is not a WHO member, bringing the total to 159 participants.
The UN agency published a draft criteria for the assessment of emergency use of Covid-19 vaccines to help guide drugmakers as vaccine trials reach advanced stages.
