WASHINGTON, Dec 5, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The World Health Organization has
warned that vaccines will be no magic bullet for the coronavirus crisis as
nations gear up for a massive rollout to tackle surging infections.
The word of caution comes as the United States clocked a record number of
Covid-19 cases for a second day in a row, with the country preparing for what
US President-elect Joe Biden has called a “dark winter”.
America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended
“universal face mask use” indoors and Biden said he would scale down his
January inauguration ceremony to mitigate the virus risk. It comes as
countries prepare for the approval and rollout of several vaccines that have
proven effective in trials.
The WHO however warned against vaccine complacency on Friday and what it
said was an erroneous belief that the Covid-19 crisis is over with jabs on
the horizon.
“Vaccines do not equal zero Covid,” said WHO emergencies director Michael
Ryan, adding that not everyone will be able to receive it early next year.
“Vaccination will add a major, major, powerful tool to the tool kit that we
have. But by themselves, they will not do the job.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said progress on vaccines
signaled “light at the end of the tunnel.”
But he cautioned against the “growing perception that the pandemic is over”
with the virus still spreading fast, putting enormous pressure on hospitals
and health care workers.
– Massive logistical effort –
The WHO says 51 candidate vaccines are currently being tested on humans,
with 13 reaching final-stage mass testing.
Britain on Wednesday became the first Western country to approve an
inoculation, from Pfizer-BioNTech, for general use, piling pressure on other
countries to swiftly follow suit.
The United States is expected to give a green light later this month.
Belgium, France and Spain have said jabs will begin in January for the most
vulnerable.
With the imminent arrival of vaccines that need storage at ultra-low
temperatures, US companies are preparing for a massive logistical effort to
aid their distribution.
Firms specializing in insulating containers are on a war footing after
Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine needs to be stored at -94 degrees
Fahrenheit (-70 Celsius).
Meat processing giant Smithfield said it was ready to put the cold rooms at
its abattoirs at the disposal of rollout operations.
And US logistics giant UPS is producing 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) of dry
ice an hour in its depots and has developed portable freezers capable of
storing the vaccines at temperatures down to -112 Fahrenheit.
– ‘Follow the science’ –
Standing in the way of success are growing signs of vaccine skepticism,
with misinformation and mistrust coloring public acceptance of inoculation.
Several high-profile figures have pledged to receive the vaccine in public
in an effort to build confidence, including Biden, Tedros and former US
presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
The United States recorded 225,000 new infections on Friday — the second
daily record in a row for the world’s worst-hit nation.
Biden said the surging number of cases meant he would scale back his
inauguration ceremony set for January.
“We’re going to follow the science and the recommendations of the experts,”
Biden told reporters.
“So it’s highly unlikely there’ll be a million people on the mall.”
– Christmas spike expected –
More than 65 million people have contracted Covid-19 globally with the
death toll from the disease topping 1.5 million.
British medical chiefs said the arrival of a vaccine should see deaths
reduce “significantly” by early next year but warned social mixing over
Christmas could cause another spike before then.
“By spring the effects of vaccination will begin to be felt in reducing
Covid admissions, attendances and deaths significantly but there are many
weeks before we get to that stage,” they said.
Italy is seeing a dramatic resurgence of infections after it largely tamped
down an earlier outbreak by enforcing a strict lockdown, while Latin America
and the Caribbean has seen an 18 percent spike in cases in a week.
Other countries are unveiling holiday restrictions, with Switzerland
banning Christmas carolling in the streets and Madrid canceling most New Year
events in the city centre.