The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that global manufacturing capacity is not sufficient to deliver vaccines and other essential health products quickly and equitably to where they are needed most.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this in a press briefing in Geneva on Monday, according to a press statement issued here.
He said that it is encouraging to hear Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa speak about the concrete steps they have so far taken to start local production. He said that investing in sustainable and secure domestic manufacturing capacity and national regulatory authorities is critical for providing essential immunisation programmes, and for building strong, resilient health systems against the inevitable health emergencies of the future.
“To address this challenge, WHO and our partners have established a COVAX manufacturing taskforce, to increase supply in the short term, but also to build a platform for sustainable vaccine manufacturing to support regional health security. What can be done today, should be done today,” he stressed.
He said that WHO is also ready to provide immediate technical support to assist countries in assessing the feasibility of local production, and in accessing technology and know-how.
He said that confusion and complacency in addressing Covid-19 means the pandemic is a long way from over, but it can be brought under control in months with proven public health measures. “We too want to see societies and economies reopening, and travel and trade resuming,” he said. “But right now, intensive care units in many countries are overflowing and people are dying – and it’s totally avoidable.”
He said, “The Covid-19 pandemic is a long way from over. But we have many reasons for optimism. The decline in cases and deaths during the first two months of the year shows that this virus and its variants can be stopped,” he added, saying transmission was being driven by “confusion, complacency and inconsistency in public health measures.”
Tedros said that in some countries, despite continuing transmission, restaurants and nightclubs are full and markets are open and crowded with few people taking precautions. “Some people appear to be taking the approach that if they’re relatively young, it doesn’t matter if they get Covid-19,” he said.
He also congratulated Muslims on start of Ramazan. “Finally, I would like to wish all Muslims Ramazan Mubarak, Ramazan Karim,” he concluded.