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STORY: WHO / COVID-19 UPDATE
TRT: 4:49
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 28 MAY 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, press briefing room
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
"There has been broad consensus this week that equitable access to vaccines is essential for ending the COVID-19 pandemic. With over 3.5 million recorded deaths from COVID-19, an estimated loss to the global economy of 22 trillion US dollars and new variants compounding explosive outbreaks, this pandemic is far from over. At the World Health Assembly this week, there has been broad consensus that ensuring equitable access to vaccines is essential for ending the COVID-19 pandemic."
3. Wide shot, press briefing room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
"In my opening remarks on Monday, I called on world leaders to support a massive push to vaccinate at least 10% of the population of every country by September, and 30% by the end of the year. Our “sprint to September” goal means we must vaccinate at least 250 million more people in low- and middle-income countries, including all health workers and the most at-risk groups as the first priority. If countries immediately share doses with COVAX, and if manufacturers prioritize COVAX, we can reach this target and save a lot of lives. Ultimately, the fastest way to bring this pandemic to an end is to dramatically increase global manufacturing of vaccines, tests, treatments and other medical supplies, and ensure equitable access."
5. Wide shot, press briefing room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
"A year ago, the President of Costa Rica, His Excellency Carlos Alvarado Quesada, and more than 40 Heads of State joined WHO to form C-TAP, the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool. C-TAP draws on the experience of the Medicines Patent Pool, and provides a single platform where innovators of COVID-19 health products can voluntarily share knowledge and technologies with quality-assured manufacturers. C-TAP is based on a proven method. Voluntary, non-exclusive licenses issued through the Medicines Patent Pool, have saved lives by scaling up manufacturing for treatments against HIV, TB and other diseases."
7. Wide shot, press briefing room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General:
"We’re holding the door open for pharmaceutical companies that have become household names, although too few households have benefited from the life-saving tools they have developed. They control the IP that can save lives today, end this pandemic soon and prevent future epidemics from spiraling out of control and undermining health, economies and national security. The major gap is originator companies, but I believe that with the right political will and the right incentives, we can see an increase in collaboration and pooling that would help to end this pandemic."
9. Wide shot, press briefing room
10. SOUNDBITE (English) H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica:
"Theshocking inequalities on the access to vaccines demand a change of tactics. It is not acceptable that more than 50 percent of the globally available vaccines were used in only five countries that account for 50 percent of global GDP. Shamefully, low income countries have received only 0.3 of the world doses.”
11. Wide shot, press briefing room
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Mike Ryan EXD, WHO Health Emergencies Programme
"We would though like for everyone out there to separate, if they can, the politics of this issue from the science. This whole process is being poisoned by politics. And if you expect scientists to do their work, if you expect scientists to collaborate and actually get the answers that you want, actually seek in a non-blame environment, to find the origin of the virus, so we may all learn how to prevent this happening in future, we would ask that this be done in a depoliticized environment where science and health is the objective of this and not blame and politics."
13. Wide shot, press briefing room
WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “at the World Health Assembly this week, there has been broad consensus that ensuring equitable access to vaccines is essential for ending the COVID-19 pandemic."
Speaking to reporters today (28 May), Tedros said, “with over 3.5 million recorded deaths from COVID-19, an estimated loss to the global economy of 22 trillion US dollars and new variants compounding explosive outbreaks, this pandemic is far from over.”
He also said that in his remarks on Monday (24 May), he called on “world leaders to support a massive push to vaccinate at least 10% of the population of every country by September, and 30% by the end of the year. “
Tedros continued, “Our ‘sprint to September’ goal means we must vaccinate at least 250 million more people in low- and middle-income countries, including all health workers and the most at-risk groups as the first priority. If countries immediately share doses with COVAX, and if manufacturers prioritize COVAX, we can reach this target and save a lot of lives. Ultimately, the fastest way to bring this pandemic to an end is to dramatically increase global manufacturing of vaccines, tests, treatments and other medical supplies, and ensure equitable access."
The Director-General also said, "A year ago, the President of Costa Rica, His Excellency Carlos Alvarado Quesada, and more than 40 Heads of State joined WHO to form C-TAP, the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool.”
He continued, “C-TAP draws on the experience of the Medicines Patent Pool, and provides a single platform where innovators of COVID-19 health products can voluntarily share knowledge and technologies with quality-assured manufacturers. C-TAP is based on a proven method. Voluntary, non-exclusive licenses issued through the Medicines Patent Pool, have saved lives by scaling up manufacturing for treatments against HIV, TB and other diseases."
Tedros also said, "We’re holding the door open for pharmaceutical companies that have become household names, although too few households have benefited from the life-saving tools they have developed. They control the IP that can save lives today, end this pandemic soon and prevent future epidemics from spiraling out of control and undermining health, economies and national security. The major gap is originator companies, but I believe that with the right political will and the right incentives, we can see an increase in collaboration and pooling that would help to end this pandemic."
President of Costa Rica, H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, also spoke to the reporters. He said, "The shocking inequalities on the access to vaccines demand a change of tactics. It is not acceptable that more than 50 percent of the globally available vaccines were used in only five countries that account for 50 percent of global GDP. Shamefully, low income countries have received only 0.3 of the world doses.”
Asked about the investigation into SARS-CoV-2 virus origins, WHO’s Dr Mike Ryan said, "We would though like for everyone out there to separate, if they can, the politics of this issue from the science. This whole process is being poisoned by politics. And if you expect scientists to do their work, if you expect scientists to collaborate and actually get the answers that you want, actually seek in a non-blame environment, to find the origin of the virus, so we may all learn how to prevent this happening in future, we would ask that this be done in a depoliticized environment where science and health is the objective of this and not blame and politics."
