WHO Does Not Expect Widespread Covid-19 Vaccinations Until Mid-2021

Saudi Press Agency

Saturday 1442/1/17 - 2020/09/05

Geneva, September 05, 2020, SPA -- The World Health Organization (WHO) does not expect widespread vaccinations against the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) until the middle of next year, a spokesperson said Friday, emphasizing the importance of rigorous checks on their effectiveness and safety.

None of the candidate vaccines in advanced clinical trials so far has demonstrated a "clear signal" of efficacy at the level of at least 50 percent sought by the U.N. health agency, spokesperson Margaret Harris said.

"We are really not expecting to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year," the WHO spokesperson told a briefing in Geneva.

"This phase 3 must take longer because we need to see how truly protective the vaccine is, and we also need to see how safe it is," Harris said, referring to the phase in vaccine research in which large clinical trials among people are conducted. She did not refer to any specific vaccine candidate.

-- SPA
15:32 LOCAL TIME 12:32 GMT
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