#COVID19 is confronting families globally with the deadly and devastating impacts of disease outbreaks.
In the midst of this crisis, we must also work to ensure all people are protected against diseases for which we have vaccines to prevent.
Immunization is a shared responsibility.
If only some people are vaccinated, diseases can still spread, especially to those at highest risk:
✅Infants who are too young to receive vaccines
✅Older adults at risk of serious diseases
✅People with low immunity
Vaccines protect us against harmful diseases like polio & measles, by:
✅Using our body’s natural defenses to protect against infections
✅Training our immune system to create antibodies
Where it is safe and feasible, we must ensure children continue to get immunized during the #COVID19 pandemic to protect them from other deadly diseases like meningitis.
Millions of children around the 🌍 will likely miss out on lifesaving 💉 due to #COVID19.
To combat the resurgence of other deadly diseases, we must continue delivering vaccines where we can and ⬆️ immunization once this outbreak is under control.
As we respond to #COVID19, now more than ever, we must ensure the continuation of essential health services like immunization Syringe, to stop vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, polio & meningitis.
A: Vaccines protect us throughout life. Don’t wait until you are exposed to a serious illness like during an outbreak. There may not be enough time to receive all the doses needed to keep you safe.
"6 months ago, WHO launched the Solidarity Trial to evaluate the effectiveness of 4 drugs for the #COVID19 treatment.
The Solidarity Trial is the 🌍’s largest randomized controlled trial of COVID-19 therapeutics, involving almost 13K patients in 500 🏥 in 30 countries"-@DrTedros
"In June, we announced that we were discontinuing the hydroxychloroquine arm of the study, and in July we announced that we would no longer enrol patients to receive the combination of lopinavir and ritonavir"- @DrTedros#COVID19
With tens of millions of people at risk of falling into extreme poverty & malnutrition because of #COVID19 pandemic, global solidarity & support are needed more to than ever to help those in need.
People with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, as well as those with #hypertension and obesity, are at increased risk of severe disease and death from #COVID19.
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Herd immunity is a concept used for vaccination, in which a population can be protected from a virus if a threshold of vaccination is reached. Vaccinated people are protected from getting the disease & passing it on, breaking any chains of transmission.
Herd immunity or population immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus, not by exposing them to it. With herd immunity, the vast majority of a population are vaccinated, ⬇️ the overall amount of virus able to spread in the whole population.
In just six months, the world’s largest randomized control trial on #COVID19 therapeutics has generated conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of repurposed drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.
Interim results from the Solidarity Therapeutics Trial, coordinated by WHO, indicate that remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir & interferon regimens appeared to have little or no effect on mortality or reduction in hospital stays for #COVID19 patients.
The progress achieved by the Solidarity Therapeutics Trial shows that large international trials are possible, even during #COVID19 pandemic, & offer the promise of quickly & reliably answering critical public health questions concerning therapeutics.