The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday called for global solidarity in the rollout of any future coronavirus vaccine, as the number of cases soared across the world.

In a video address at the opening of the three-day World Health Summit in Berlin, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the only way to recover from the pandemic was together and by making sure poorer countries had fair access to a vaccine.

"It is natural that countries want to protect their own citizens first but if and when we have an effective vaccine, we must also use it effectively. And the best way to do that is to vaccinate some people in all countries rather than all people in some countries," he said.

"Let me be clear: vaccine nationalism will prolong the pandemic, not shorten it."

Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, which has killed over 1.1 million people.

Several dozen vaccine candidates are currently being tested in clinical trials, ten of which are in the most advanced "phase 3" stage involving tens of thousands of volunteers.

The European Union, the United States, Britain, Japan and a slew of other nations have already placed large orders with the companies involved in developing the most promising vaccines.

But concerns are growing that countries with smaller wallets could be left at the back of the queue.

The WHO has launched an international scheme known as Covax to help ensure equitable access to jabs, but it has struggled to raise the funds needed.

'Greatest Crisis'

The WHO on Sunday reported a third straight day of record new infections across the world, calling on countries to take further action to curb the spread of the disease.

The agency's figures showed that 465,319 cases were declared for Saturday alone, half of them in Europe.

"This is a dangerous moment for many countries in the northern hemisphere as cases spike," Tedros said.

But he added that people weren't powerless against the virus, stressing the importance of social distancing, hand washing, and meeting outdoors instead of inside.

"Again and again we have seen that taking the right actions quickly means the outbreak can be managed."

Speaking at the same summit, which is being held online this year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his video message called the pandemic "the greatest crisis of our times".

"We need global solidarity every step of the way," he said, echoing the plea for developed countries to support those with fewer resources.

"A vaccine must be a global public good," Guterres said.

"Vaccines, tests and therapies are more than lifesavers. They are economy savers and society savers."

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday called for global solidarity in the rollout of any future coronavirus vaccine, as the number of cases soared across the world.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday called for global solidarity in the rollout of any future coronavirus vaccine, as the number of cases soared across the world. In a video address at the opening of the three-day World Health Summit in Berlin, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the only way to recover from the pandemic was together and by making sure poorer countries had fair access to a vaccine. "It is natural that countries want to protect their own citizens first but if and when we have an effective vaccine, we must also use it effectively. And the best way to do that is to vaccinate some people in all countries rather than all people in some countries," he said. "Let me be clear: vaccine nationalism will prolong the pandemic, not shorten it." Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, which has killed over 1.1 million people. Several dozen vaccine candidates are currently being tested in clinical trials, ten of which are in the most advanced "phase 3" stage involving tens of thousands of volunteers. The European Union, the United States, Britain, Japan and a slew of other nations have already placed large orders with the companies involved in developing the most promising vaccines. But concerns are growing that countries with smaller wallets could be left at the back of the queue. The WHO has launched an international scheme known as Covax to help ensure equitable access to jabs, but it has struggled to raise the funds needed. 'Greatest Crisis' The WHO on Sunday reported a third straight day of record new infections across the world, calling on countries to take further action to curb the spread of the disease. The agency's figures showed that 465,319 cases were declared for Saturday alone, half of them in Europe. "This is a dangerous moment for many countries in the northern hemisphere as cases spike," Tedros said. But he added that people weren't powerless against the virus, stressing the importance of social distancing, hand washing, and meeting outdoors instead of inside. "Again and again we have seen that taking the right actions quickly means the outbreak can be managed." Speaking at the same summit, which is being held online this year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his video message called the pandemic "the greatest crisis of our times". "We need global solidarity every step of the way," he said, echoing the plea for developed countries to support those with fewer resources. "A vaccine must be a global public good," Guterres said. "Vaccines, tests and therapies are more than lifesavers. They are economy savers and society savers."

Coronavirus: WHO chief warns against ‘vaccine nationalism’

The world is desperate for a vaccine for the Wuhan virus and there is not one yet but Chinese citizens are set to get a jab.&nbsp;

First, the workers of state-owned companies will receive a jab, teachers, supermarket employees and more will also get a shot.

However, China's vaccines are not approved. Earlier this month, China showed off the vaccines to the world. It was a move to build global hype, by displaying the vials Beijing wanted to send a message - China has the ultimate cure to the Wuhan virus. The Communist Party wants a head start in the global vaccine race even when the Chinese vaccines haven't received a stamp of approval from the world.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-china-is-giving-unproven-vaccines-to-thousands-of-citizens-331283/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

China is inoculating its own population. Chinese citizens are the guinea pigs in one of the largest human trials in the world. First, employees of state-owned companies were given the vaccine, now China is expanding its program administering it to teachers, supermarket employees and people travelling to risky areas abroad being injected.

Two objectives could be driving Beijing, the Communist Party is eager to show China as a superpower in science and by winning the vaccine race, China would be able to deflect some of the criticism over the cover-up in Wuhan.

So China is injecting its own citizens, it is even offering the vaccine to the rest of the world. Chinese officials are promising more vaccines and one billion doses by next year but experts have been raising serious doubts over China's vaccine program. No other country has injected so many people with an unproven vaccine. The number of people who have already received a shot is not clear.

No one knows whether China is even tracking them to check for any harmful side effects. There is fear that Chinese vaccines could have harmful side effects or encourage behaviour that could lead to more infections but China seems to be putting politics above science.

The local government of Shaoyang city in the Zhejiang province issued a message for local officials asking them to look for more people who could be given the vaccine. On the list of potential candidates were people in schools, kindergartens and nursing homes. China's moves are dangerous, this desperation to win the vaccine race could upend the global efforts to find a cure for the Wuhan virus.

The world is desperate for a vaccine for the Wuhan virus and there is not one yet but Chinese citizens are set to get a jab. First, the workers of state-owned companies will receive a jab, teachers, supermarket employees and more will also get a shot.

The world is desperate for a vaccine for the Wuhan virus and there is not one yet but Chinese citizens are set to get a jab. First, the workers of state-owned companies will receive a jab, teachers, supermarket employees and more will also get a shot. However, China's vaccines are not approved. Earlier this month, China showed off the vaccines to the world. It was a move to build global hype, by displaying the vials Beijing wanted to send a message - China has the ultimate cure to the Wuhan virus. The Communist Party wants a head start in the global vaccine race even when the Chinese vaccines haven't received a stamp of approval from the world. China is inoculating its own population. Chinese citizens are the guinea pigs in one of the largest human trials in the world. First, employees of state-owned companies were given the vaccine, now China is expanding its program administering it to teachers, supermarket employees and people travelling to risky areas abroad being injected. Two objectives could be driving Beijing, the Communist Party is eager to show China as a superpower in science and by winning the vaccine race, China would be able to deflect some of the criticism over the cover-up in Wuhan. So China is injecting its own citizens, it is even offering the vaccine to the rest of the world. Chinese officials are promising more vaccines and one billion doses by next year but experts have been raising serious doubts over China's vaccine program. No other country has injected so many people with an unproven vaccine. The number of people who have already received a shot is not clear. No one knows whether China is even tracking them to check for any harmful side effects. There is fear that Chinese vaccines could have harmful side effects or encourage behaviour that could lead to more infections but China seems to be putting politics above science. The local government of Shaoyang city in the Zhejiang province issued a message for local officials asking them to look for more people who could be given the vaccine. On the list of potential candidates were people in schools, kindergartens and nursing homes. China's moves are dangerous, this desperation to win the vaccine race could upend the global efforts to find a cure for the Wuhan virus.

How China's unapproved COVID-19 vaccine drive is putting citizens at risk

An Austrian biotech company working with the Institut Pasteur said on Tuesday it planned to start clinical trials with an experimental Zika vaccine in the next 12 months, marking a further acceleration of research in the field. 
 
Themis Bioscience has signed a licence deal with the French research institute giving it extensive rights to the Zika vaccine candidate, which is based on established measles vaccine technology. 
 
More than a dozen small biotech firms and other organisations are working on vaccines against mosquito-borne Zika, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological disorders, although most work is at a very early stage. 
 
Erich Tauber, chief executive of Themis, believes his company&#39;s project will benefit from the proven track record behind the technology used to immunise against measles. 
 
French drugmaker Sanofi, the only big drugmaker working on a Zika shot, last week struck a deal with the US Army to speed up the development of another vaccine, which should be ready for testing on humans in October. 
 
Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus, which has caused a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to many countries in the Americas. 
 
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly, or small heads in babies, as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder. 
 
(Reuters)

Themis Bioscience has signed a licence deal with the French research institute giving it extensive rights to the Zika vaccine candidate

An Austrian biotech company working with the Institut Pasteur said on Tuesday it planned to start clinical trials with an experimental Zika vaccine in the next 12 months, marking a further acceleration of research in the field. Themis Bioscience has signed a licence deal with the French research institute giving it extensive rights to the Zika vaccine candidate, which is based on established measles vaccine technology. More than a dozen small biotech firms and other organisations are working on vaccines against mosquito-borne Zika, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological disorders, although most work is at a very early stage. Erich Tauber, chief executive of Themis, believes his company's project will benefit from the proven track record behind the technology used to immunise against measles. French drugmaker Sanofi, the only big drugmaker working on a Zika shot, last week struck a deal with the US Army to speed up the development of another vaccine, which should be ready for testing on humans in October. Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus, which has caused a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to many countries in the Americas. The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly, or small heads in babies, as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder. (Reuters)

Austrian biotech plans Zika vaccine clinical trials in 12 months