Thread by @kakape

“@WHO is concerned that there is a growing perception that the pandemic is over”, says @drtedros at #covid19 presser. "The truth is that at present, many places are witnessing very high transmission of the virus."

@WHO @DrTedros "We know it has been a hard year and people are tired, but in hospitals that are running at or over capacity it's the hardest it can possibly be”, says @DrTedros. "Please be careful. Think of health workers and act for the greater good, because it will save lives and livelihoods"

@WHO @DrTedros "The pandemic still has a long way to run and decisions made by leaders and citizens in the coming days will determine, both the course of the virus in the short term and when this pandemic will ultimately end”, says @drtedros. "Fighting this pandemic is everybody's business."

@WHO @DrTedros "With vaccines now being introduced, it’s really important that they are distributed equitably around the world”, says @drtedros. COVAX Facility, which aims to do this, is backed by 189 countries, he says.

@WHO @DrTedros “We’re asking all countries to do a country readiness assessment that takes into account cold chain, health worker capacity, micro-planning, initial target populations and training”, says @drtedros. "This will form the basis of national deployment and vaccination plans."

@WHO @DrTedros COVAX has secured 700 million doses of three vaccines, says @drtedros. “Next year we aim to use additional funds to ensure that at least two billion doses of safe and effective vaccines are available around the world."

@WHO @DrTedros The @ACTAccelerator "urgently requires a cash injection of $4.3 billion to fast-track critical areas of work and ensure that rapid tests, treatments and new #covid19 vaccines are distributed equitably”, says @drtedros.

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health, chaired by @CassSunstein, just released a report on “behavioural considerations for acceptance and uptake of #covid19 vaccines”

It’s up here: apps.who.int/iris/handle/10…

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein “This is an unprecedented and in some ways unique challenge”, says @CassSunstein. “There is a great need to adapt quickly to challenges and the technical advisory group together with @WHO colleagues will be engaged in doing exactly that.”

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein Three things should be helpful in providing a framework, says @CassSunstein:
1. "enabling environment for vaccination” is important
Where are vaccination opportunities located? How long does it take? How expensive? Are people treated with respect and kindness?

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein 2. promote favorable social norms
“Health professionals are often trusted, especially if they themselves have been vaccinated”, says @CassSunstein, especially health professionals who are part of the local community, connected to the people and place.

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein 3. "It's very important to put a spotlight on people's motivations”, says @CassSunstein. “Motivations are an outgrowth of values. They're outgrowth of emotions and they are an outgrowth of information"

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein “A central way to increase motivation is to increase trust through transparency and empathy and clarity and through meeting people where they are and listening very carefully to people's concerns and and fears”, says @CassSunstein.

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein Social benefits of getting vaccinated can also be very persuasive not just the benefit for the person getting vaccinated, says @CassSunstein. “The life you save may be your father's or your closest friend's grandmother."

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein “Vaccines do not equal zero #covid19. Vaccines and vaccination will add a major, powerful tool to the toolkit that we have”, says @DrMikeRyan. By themselves they will not do the job and therefore we have to add vaccines into an existing public health strategy."

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein @DrMikeRyan We're at an inflection point in the pandemic, says @DrMikeRyan. “We're not at a point where we can walk away from what we've been doing already. We ask that people sustain the effort sustain their behaviors, work in communities to drive community behavior."

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein @DrMikeRyan "I think the next six months are going to be difficult, but hopeful”, says @mvankerkhove. “We need to have the patience. We need to put in the work to keep ourselves safe and to keep our loved ones safe."

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein @DrMikeRyan @mvankerkhove “The decisions we make right now can change the course of the next six months”, says @mvankerkhove. "The steps that we take now mean life or death for us and mean life or death for our families."

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein @DrMikeRyan @mvankerkhove “As we enter into this critical holiday period right now, really consider what you do over this period, and who you interact with”, says @mvankerkhove. “If you can modify your contact patterns, you can modify the virus's ability to spread."

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein @DrMikeRyan @mvankerkhove Vaccines should give us hope, says @DrMikeRyan. “But those countries currently in the fight of their lives: You have got to stick with this! You've got to try and control this transmission or your health systems will not be able to cope."

@WHO @DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @CassSunstein @DrMikeRyan @mvankerkhove “We need the hope”, says @DrMikeRyan. “But we also need to be realistic. ... There are some countries on this planet whose health systems are at a point of collapse. Right now we have got to take the heat out of this transmission in order that those health systems can cope"