Thread by @WHO

Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros pscp.tv/w/cuwTtjI2MTAy…

"Earlier this week, Captain Sir Tom Moore died with #COVID19. As you know, as he approached his 100th birthday last year, Captain Sir Tom decided he would try to raise £1000 for the @NHSuk by completing 100 laps of his garden. He ended up raising more than £30 million"-@DrTedros

"For me, Captain Sir Tom represents two things:

The first is that everyone can make a difference, whether that’s raising money, inspiring others, informing the public or simply deciding to stay at home to keep others safe"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357725647972552708?s=20

"The second is that Captain Sir Tom was a reminder of the value we should put on older people and everything they bring to our world"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357725647972552708?s=20

"There’s a disturbing narrative in some countries that it’s okay if older people die. It’s not okay. No one is dispensable. Every life is precious, regardless of age, gender, income, legal status, ethnicity or anything else"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357725906287161344?s=20

"That’s why it’s so important that older people everywhere are prioritized for vaccination. Those most at risk of severe disease and death from #COVID19, incl. #healthworkers & older people, must come first – and they must come first everywhere"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357725906287161344?s=20

"Globally, the number of vaccinations has now overtaken the number of reported infections.

In one sense, that’s good news, and a remarkable achievement in such a short timeframe"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"But more than three quarters of those vaccinations are in just 10 countries that account for almost 60% of global GDP.

Almost 130 countries, with 2.5 billion people, are yet to administer a single dose"-@DrTedros #COVID19

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357726459071242242?s=20

"Some countries have already vaccinated large proportions of their population who are at lower risk of severe disease or death"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"All governments have an obligation to protect their own people. But once countries with #COVID19 vaccines have vaccinated their own 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ & older people, the best way to protect the rest of their own population is to share vaccines so other countries can do the same"-@DrTedros

"That’s because the longer it takes to vaccinate those most at risk everywhere, the more opportunity we give the #COVID19 virus to mutate and evade vaccines.

In other words, unless we suppress the virus everywhere, we could end up back at square one"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"On Wednesday, #COVAX published its forecast for the distribution of vaccines to participating countries.

This is a very exciting moment. Countries are ready to go, but the vaccines aren’t there"-@DrTedros #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1356960856546885632?s=20

"We need countries to share doses once they have finished vaccinating #healthworkers and older people"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357727280890527745?s=20

"But we also need a massive scale-up in production. Last week, Sanofi announced it would make its manufacturing infrastructure available to support production of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. We call on other companies to follow this example"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

"Companies can also issue non-exclusive licenses to allow other producers to manufacture their #COVID19 vaccine – a mechanism that has been used before to expand access to treatments for HIV and hepatitis C"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

"The #COVID19 Technology Access Pool, or C-TAP, enables the voluntary licensing of technologies in a non-exclusive and transparent way by providing a platform for developers to share knowledge, intellectual property and data"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

"This sharing of knowledge and data could enable immediate use of untapped production capacity and help build additional manufacturing bases, especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357728030177787904?s=20

"Expanding production globally would also make poor countries less dependent on donations from rich ones.

These are unprecedented times and we applaud those manufacturers that have pledged, for example, to sell their vaccines at cost"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

"But manufacturers can do more: having received substantial public funding, we encourage all manufacturers to share their data and technology to ensure global equitable access to vaccines"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #COVID19

"And we call on companies to share their dossiers with WHO faster and more fully than they have been doing, so we can review them for emergency use listing"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

"Last Friday, we heard from #healthworkers in Uganda and Pakistan who are waiting to be vaccinated.

Today we’re pleased to be joined by two health workers from high-income countries who have been vaccinated"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

1⃣Professor Gabriel Gold who works in a geriatric department at the Trois-Chêne Hospital in Geneva,🇨🇭

"Professor Gold, thank you so much and I welcome your support to accelerate #COVID19 vaccine rollout globally"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1357728736523808768?s=20

2⃣ Cindy Frias is a Mental Health Specialist Nurse at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, 🇪🇸

"Thank you, Cindy. Muchas gracias. We know many people have felt isolated during the #COVID19 pandemic and the work you do, as a mental health nurse specialist, is so critical"-@DrTedros

"Thank you once again to both our guests today. We are glad both of you have been vaccinated and are able to keep doing your essential work. And thank you to both of you for the clear call you have issued for #healthworkers everywhere to be vaccinated"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

The full remarks by @DrTedros at #COVID19 media briefing - 5 February 2021 👇bit.ly/2MWciM0