Hope For The Future

Today marks the start of the World Immunization Week. The COVID-19 pandemic, while draws the world’s attention to the vaccine, also reminds us of the importance of immunization, which saves millions of lives each year.

WHO is working with partners all over the world to accelerate research and development of a safe and effective vaccine and ensure equitable access for the billions of people who will need it. But even with an expedited process, development of a vaccine for COVID-19 will take time. 

The ongoing pandemic disrupts routine immunization services in many countries. When immunization services are disrupted, even for brief periods during emergencies, the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, such as measles and polio, increase. Further disease outbreaks will also overwhelm health systems already battling the impacts of COVID-19.

WHO continues to support countries to maintain essential immunization for all vaccine preventable diseases. We issued guidance on immunization services during the COVID-19 pandemic, which provides guiding principles and considerations to support countries in their decision-making regarding provision of immunization services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reference:

https://www.who.int/china/news/feature-stories/detail/covid-19-what-we-know-about-the-future-covid-19-vaccines

https://internationalbanker.com/finance/what-a-covid-19-vaccine-means-for-the-global-economic-recovery/