WHO: Do not panic, you will get COVID vaccine
Rejoining WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday sought to assure everyone by saying that everyone who wants a COVID vaccine will get one. It advised against panic. WHO's Assistant Director-General Mariangela Simao said that the agency was busy ensuring that everyone around the globe had an access to coronavirus vaccine.
"No one needs to panic, because you're going to get a vaccine," said Simao, the assistant DG for access to medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
"We've been working very hard to ensure that all countries, all populations, do have the opportunity to access these vaccines," she told a WHO social media live event.
Simao said that around 50 countries have started vaccination campaigns, with more than 40 of them being high-income states.
WHO-led Covax facility had struck agreements with five vaccine manufacturers for two billion vaccine doses. Covax is a globally pooled vaccine procurement and distribution effort. It aims to secure vaccines for 20 per cent of the population around the world.
"We are expecting to have the first doses reaching countries end of February," Simao said.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
Nasal vaccine?
According to the WHO's overview of candidate vaccines, 64 have been tested on humans, 22 of which have reached final-stage mass testing.
A further 173 candidate vaccines are being developed in laboratories with a view to eventual human trials.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan welcomed the "really incredible" range, saying it was important to have a variety of vaccines with different properties.
So far, the WHO has only approved emergency use validation for the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage.
"That's a problem in many countries," said Swaminathan.
She said there were vaccines in development that only require a single injection; a nasally-inhaled vaccine; and versions which will be much more affordable than those already in use.
"There may be many vaccines that have advantages over the first generation," Swaminathan said.
"What we want to see is prevention of disease. Prevention of infection is another question. But that is secondary," she added.
(With AFP inputs)