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WHO / COVID-19 UPDATE
STORY: WHO
TRT: 5:04
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 24 AUGUST 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1.Wide shot, press briefing room
2.SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
"I am pleased to announce that as of today 172 countries are now engaging with the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility, which has both the largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio in the world. At present there are nine vaccines that are part of this dynamic portfolio; which is constantly being reviewed and optimised to ensure access to the best possible range of products. Even now, discussions are ongoing with four more producers. And a further nine vaccines are currently under evaluation for the longer term."
3. Wide shot, conference room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
"Vaccine nationalism only helps the virus. The world has so far invested 12 trillion dollars in keeping economies moving. Investing in the COVAX Facility is the fastest way to end this pandemic and ensure a sustainable economic recovery."
5.Wide shot, conference room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO):
"We have started discussions now with the authorities in Russia to learn more about the vaccine candidate and we have requested for the data on efficacy and safety. We understand that it's gone through some preliminary human studies and that it is about to get into a phase three clinical trial, which will really be the test of efficacy. So, we look forward to discussing with the Russian authorities, as well as seeing the data that is available so far and then having a dialogue."
7.Wide shot, conference room
8.SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the Director-General and Head of the ACT-Accelerator Coordination Hub:
"Obviously, immunization policy and requirements are in the national domain and so those decisions would be made at the national level. But clearly, what we're looking for here is a greatest possible acceptance of a vaccine and that vaccine seeking behavior. So, in our work we really emphasize ensuring people understand the benefits of the vaccines, the safety of vaccines, the quality of vaccines, and that we can encourage as much as possible, the seeking of vaccines rather than mandatory requirements."
9.Wide shot, conference room
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO):
"Generally it's (plasma) been used in severely ill patients who've been hospitalized. There are a number of clinical trials going on around the world looking at convalescent plasma compared to a standard of care, and only a few of them have actually reported out on results. And the results are not conclusive, I should say that the trials have been relatively small and the results, in some cases, point to some benefit, but have not been conclusive. And we've been tracking this and we do ongoing meta analysis and systematic reviews to see where the evidence is shifting or pointing, and at the moment it's still very low quality evidence. So, we recommend that convalescent plasma is still an experimental therapy, it should be continued to be evaluated in well-designed randomized clinical trials."
11.Wide shot, conference room
12. SOUNDBITE (Engilsh) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical lead, WHO Health Emergencies Programme:
"Even if this is the first documented case of reinfection, it is possible of course, because with our experience with other human coronaviruses and the MERS coronavirus and the SARS-CoV-1 coronavirus, we know that people have an antibody response for some time, but it may wane. What we know specifically about immune response for SARS-CoV-2, is that there are a number of studies underway following the same individuals over time. These are called longitudinal studies, which follow the same individual at monthly time periods, or every few months. Remember, we're eight months into this pandemic and so these studies are still continuing. From the longitudinal studies that are underway, not all of them are published yet, we do see a strong antibody response that stays, that stays at that same level."
13.Wide shot, conference room
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical lead, WHO Health Emergencies Programme:
"So, this data is preliminary but the bottom line is that children can be infected, most children have mild disease, although some children can have serious disease and some children can die. Children can transmit the virus, although there are differences in transmission rate, depending on the age with the youngest children transmitting less. And these are studies that are ongoing. So, if there's transmission that's happening in a community, it can enter into the school system. So, what we really need to focus on is bringing transmission down in the school system."
15. Wide shot, conference room
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that as of today, “172 countries are now engaging with the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility, which has both the largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio in the world.”
Speaking to reporters today (24 Aug) in Geneva, Tedros said, “at present there are nine vaccines that are part of this dynamic portfolio; which is constantly being reviewed and optimised to ensure access to the best possible range of products. Even now, discussions are ongoing with four more producers. And a further nine vaccines are currently under evaluation for the longer term."
He also said, "vaccine nationalism only helps the virus,” adding that “the world has so far invested 12 trillion dollars in keeping economies moving. Investing in the COVAX Facility is the fastest way to end this pandemic and ensure a sustainable economic recovery."
WHO’s chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said, "we have started discussions now with the authorities in Russia to learn more about the vaccine candidate and we have requested for the data on efficacy and safety.”
She continued, “we understand that it's gone through some preliminary human studies and that it is about to get into a phase three clinical trial, which will really be the test of efficacy. So, we look forward to discussing with the Russian authorities, as well as seeing the data that is available so far and then having a dialogue."
WHO’s Dr Bruce Aylward also spoke to the reporters. He said, "obviously, immunization policy and requirements are in the national domain and so those decisions would be made at the national level, however, he added, “what we're looking for here is a greatest possible acceptance of a vaccine and that vaccine seeking behavior.”
Alyward continued, “in our work we really emphasize ensuring people understand the benefits of the vaccines, the safety of vaccines, the quality of vaccines, and that we can encourage as much as possible, the seeking of vaccines rather than mandatory requirements."
Dr Soumya Swaminathan also noted, "generally it's (plasma) been used in severely ill patients who've been hospitalized. There are a number of clinical trials going on around the world looking at convalescent plasma compared to a standard of care, and only a few of them have actually reported out on results. And the results are not conclusive, I should say that the trials have been relatively small and the results, in some cases, point to some benefit, but have not been conclusive.”
She continued, “we've been tracking this and we do ongoing meta analysis and systematic reviews to see where the evidence is shifting or pointing, and at the moment it's still very low quality evidence. So, we recommend that convalescent plasma is still an experimental therapy, it should be continued to be evaluated in well-designed randomized clinical trials."
WHO’s Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said, "even if this is the first documented case of reinfection, it is possible of course, because with our experience with other human coronaviruses and the MERS coronavirus and the SARS-CoV-1 coronavirus, we know that people have an antibody response for some time, but it may wane.”
Kerkhove explained, “what we know specifically about immune response for SARS-CoV-2, is that there are a number of studies underway following the same individuals over time. These are called longitudinal studies, which follow the same individual at monthly time periods, or every few months.”
She added, “remember, we're eight months into this pandemic and so these studies are still continuing. From the longitudinal studies that are underway, not all of them are published yet, we do see a strong antibody response that stays, that stays at that same level."
Kerkhove also said, “this data is preliminary but the bottom line is that children can be infected, most children have mild disease, although some children can have serious disease and some children can die.”
She explained, “children can transmit the virus, although there are differences in transmission rate, depending on the age with the youngest children transmitting less. And these are studies that are ongoing. So, if there's transmission that's happening in a community, it can enter into the school system. So, what we really need to focus on is bringing transmission down in the school system."
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