COVID-19: Vaccine Alone Will Not End Pandemic – WHO DG
Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, has said that a Covid-19 vaccine alone cannot put a permanent stop to the coronavirus pandemic.
“No country can just ride this out until we have a vaccine.
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“A vaccine will be a vital tool, and we hope that we will have one as soon as possible; but there’s no guarantee that we will, and even if we do have a vaccine, it won’t end the pandemic on its own,” Adhanom stressed on Friday, at a press briefing in Geneva.
Adhanom maintained that despite the push for a vaccine, everyone had to subscribe to a behavioural change.
“We must all learn to control and manage this virus using the tools we have now, and to make the adjustments to our daily lives that are needed to keep ourselves and each other safe,”he said.
He noted that the health measures must continue to be place for the pandemic to be defeated, amidst calls for the reopening of various sectors of each country’s economy.
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His statement further reads:
“So-called lockdowns enabled many countries to suppress transmission and take the pressure off their health systems.
“But lockdowns are not a long-term solution for any country.
“We do not need to choose between lives and livelihoods, or between health and the economy. That’s a false choice.
“On the contrary, the pandemic is a reminder that health and the economy are inseparable.
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“WHO is committed to working with all countries to move into a new stage of opening their economies, societies, schools and businesses safely.
“To do that, every single person must be involved. Every single person can make a difference. Every person, family, community and nation must make their own decisions, based on the level of risk where they live.
“That means every person and family has a responsibility to know the level of transmission locally, and to understand what they can do to protect themselves and others.
“At the same time, we will not – we cannot – go back to the way things were.
“Throughout history, outbreaks and pandemics have changed economies and societies. This one will be no different.
“In particular, the pandemic has given new impetus to the need to accelerate efforts to respond to climate change.
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“The pandemic has given us a glimpse of our world as it could be: cleaner skies and rivers.”
