Countries of the world have appealed to increase their investments in "Kovacs" to ensure equitable access to the vaccine
"Global Health": No country alone will be able to protect itself from "Corona"
"Global Health" will work to ensure that access to vaccines and treatments is equal and fair among countries. EPA
The World Health Organization has confirmed that a country alone will not be able to protect itself and its society from the emerging corona virus unless all countries obtain protection, and the World Health Organization has called on countries of the world to increase their investments in the joint Kovacs initiative aimed at ensuring fair global access to an anti-Coronavirus vaccine, while warning The organization, yesterday, revealed that the outbreak of the virus in the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly exacerbated by people in their twenties, thirties and forties who do not show symptoms of infection.
In detail, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that a country alone will not be able to protect itself and its society from the Corona virus unless all countries obtain protection, and called on countries of the world to increase their investments in the Kovacs cooperative initiative. In a press conference yesterday in Geneva, Ghebreyesus warned the countries of the world against making the same mistake that occurred when the Corona virus spread, and the increasing need around the world for tools, personal protective equipment and masks that people wear, when distributing any effective vaccine for the virus.
"We must prevent nationalism from Covid-19, and we need solidarity in order to reach a common solution in the Covid-19 pandemic," Ghebreyesus added.
He referred to the beginnings of the pandemic when countries stopped exporting protective clothing and masks in order to ensure that they are sufficiently provided to their residents. He said that "the nationalization of resources exacerbated the pandemic."
He appealed to the countries of the world to strategically share medical supplies and technology to combat the virus, explaining that the world will need to produce billions of doses of vaccines for the Corona virus.
He said that the organization will work to ensure that access to vaccines and treatments and their distribution is equal and fair between countries, stressing the need for planning at the highest levels to reach a solution that guarantees fair and equal access to treatments, tools and vaccines to stop the virus.
In response to journalists' questions, Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO's emergency program, said that the world is still very far from the collective immunity of societies and has not approached the level required for that collective immunity to stop the spread of the virus, "and until now the issue of collective protection cannot be considered a solution."
As for the expert of the organization specializing in the prevention of the Corona virus, Dr. Maria Vankirkov, she said that based on the studies completed so far, less than 10% of the population has evidence of the formation of antibodies to the virus, and thus immunity to infection, but she confirmed that it is not known yet how sustainable a person’s immunity is. After his injury and recovery or strength.
The number of countries that showed interest in the Kovacs Cooperative Initiative reached several dozen by the end of last July, and the initiative's program currently includes nine candidate drugs as an anti-Corona vaccine.
In the event that one of these drugs is proven effective and safe, two billion doses will be produced by the end of 2021 to provide protection in all countries around the world for medical care personnel, and for people who are particularly threatened by their aging or suffering who have a history of disease, and these groups represent nearly 20 % Of total population participating in the initiative.
Many countries are investing in developing local vaccines, and each of them has entered into initial contracts with the company concerned with developing the vaccine to ensure the provision of large quantities of the vaccine if it is proven effective.
This comes at a time when the World Health Organization said yesterday that the new Corona virus is currently spreading in the Asia-Pacific region among those under the age of 50 who may not know that they are infected, warning that the pandemic will reach a "new stage."
The Director of the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Region, Takeshi Kasai, said during an online press release, that people who do not show symptoms or only show mild symptoms of Covid-19 disease, may expose the elderly or vulnerable to the virus.
"The epidemic is changing," he added. People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly the primary culprits behind the threat. Many do not know that they are infected, because they only have mild symptoms, if any.
"We are not noticing just a small comeback," Kasai said. I consider it a sign that we have entered a new phase of the epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region. ”
Two-thirds of the infections were recorded in Japan among people under the age of forty, according to WHO data on the current stage of infection, and this category represents more than half of the cases in the Philippines and Australia.
Kasai warned that "we must redouble our efforts to prevent the virus from reaching vulnerable populations."
Countries where the epidemic was under control, such as New Zealand, Vietnam and South Korea, discovered new hotspots, forcing their governments to re-impose containment and social distancing measures in cities.
Kasai said that it is encouraging to use the targeted measures in the region because this has reduced the economic and social impact of the containment measures, which is more acceptable in the long term.
He warned that the threat would continue "as long as the virus spreads and we are not immune to it."
The organization pointed to "impressive changes in people's behavior" in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, where wearing masks, physical distancing and hand hygiene have become part of daily life as part of efforts to contain the virus.
But Kasai admitted that these changes may not last long. He said, "We know that it is not easy to continue in this way, and that many people feel tired, but we need people to continue to make positive choices to protect themselves and their communities."
He added, "Achieving and maintaining the new normal in every place will remain a serious challenge as long as the virus spreads and we do not have immunity to it." While efforts to develop a vaccine against Corona continue at an accelerating pace, the World Health Organization said that this should not be relied upon as a solution to the epidemic.
"What is important is that we continue to strengthen our response and not just hope for the vaccine," Kasai said, adding that efforts are continuing to ensure that all countries receive equitable access to the vaccine as soon as it is available.
• If a drug is proven effective and safe, two billion doses will be produced by the end of 2021, to provide protection for medical care workers and people at risk.
• "Corona" is spreading in the Asia-Pacific region currently among those under the age of 50 who may not know they are infected.