Thread by @kakape

“Currently, some high income countries are entering contracts with vaccine manufacturers that undermine the deals that COVAX has in place and reduce the number of doses COVAX can buy”, says @DrTedros at @WHO’s #covid19 presser.

@DrTedros @WHO Great that countries are pledging money for buying vaccines, @DrTedros says, echoing comments from earlier today. But: “Money is not the only challenge we face. If there are no vaccines to buy, money is irrelevant."

@DrTedros @WHO "Even if we have the funds, we can only deliver vaccines to poorer countries if high income countries cooperate in respecting the deals COVAX has done, and the new deals, it's doing”, says @DrTedros. “This is not a matter of charity. It's a matter of epidemiology."

@DrTedros @WHO Lee Bolinger, president of @Columbia, now introducing a vaccine symposium starting later today (full disclosure: I will give a talk there on the last day.)
pgh.cuimc.columbia.edu/symposium-vacc…

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia Trying to develop an HIV vaccine led to advances in structure-based vaccine design that allowed scientists "to actually develop an immunogen in the form of a pre-fusion stabilized spike protein”, says Tony Fauci.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia People receiving vaccine shots just 11 months after the sequence of the virus was published is unprecedented, says Fauci. “The world needs to realize that this was a result of the extraordinary investment that has been made in fundamental biomedical research."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia "Now that the science has brought us there, we have an extraordinary challenge and the challenge is that clearly we need to get vaccines produced and distributed in an equitable way, not only in the United States”, says Fauci.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia "It's remarkable that a year ago in the United States, there were 14 #COVID19 cases and as of today, we've had more than 500,000 deaths”, says @DrNancyM_CDC. "The COVID pandemic is clearly not at an end. We still have a long way to go."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC "It's essential that as we roll out these vaccine programs, the people who need it most can have access”, says @DrNancyM_CDC. "But we know that doesn't matter if people are unwilling to get vaccinated. It's essential that everyone have confidence in the vaccination program."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC Q about building capacity in countries in Africa to make their own vaccines.
Beyond immediate need, countries should help other countries build "the capability to make their own vaccine, so that they would be independent of having to rely on the donation of vaccines”, says Fauci.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC "I think it will only help everyone, if we have more sites across the world distributed geographically, that are capable of producing vaccines at short notice”, says @doctorsoumya. “It will help this pandemic and it's also going to help for future pandemics."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya Q about call to open up IP to widen access to vaccines.
Fauci says HIV shows that "you can make arrangements with companies that would allow them both to maintain a considerable amount of profit” and make sure there is access that’s "life-saving for literally millions of people"

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya “We don't have the time we had, we cannot afford to take 10 years for medicines or vaccines to reach developing countries this time”, says @mariangelasimao. “It took too long with HIV and too many people died unnecessarily."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya @mariangelasimao Q about allergic reactions.
Reactions are "likely to the polyethylene glycol in the vaccine preparation”, says Fauci. "This has not been definitively proven yet. But this is something that has been suspected” and work is ongoing.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya @mariangelasimao People with history of allergic reactions should still get vaccinated. "We feel they can and should get vaccinated”, says Fauci. But recommends getting vaccinated “in a particular location that has the capability of treating anaphylactic reactions”.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya @mariangelasimao About 4 to 5 anaphylactic reactions per million to the Pfizer vaccine and about 2 to 3 per million to Moderna vaccine, says Fauci citing recent paper. "So it's an unusual, rare interaction, but it should not be a contraindication for someone to get the vaccine”.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia "It's remarkable that a year ago in the United States, there were 14 #COVID19 cases and as of today, we've had more than 500,000 deaths”, says @DrNancyM_CDC. "The COVID pandemic is clearly not at an end. We still have a long way to go."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC "It's essential that as we roll out these vaccine programs, the people who need it most can have access”, says @DrNancyM_CDC. "But we know that doesn't matter if people are unwilling to get vaccinated. It's essential that everyone have confidence in the vaccination program."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC Q about building capacity in countries in Africa to make their own vaccines.
Beyond immediate need, countries should help other countries build "the capability to make their own vaccine, so that they would be independent of having to rely on the donation of vaccines”, says Fauci.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC "I think it will only help everyone, if we have more sites across the world distributed geographically, that are capable of producing vaccines at short notice”, says @doctorsoumya. “It will help this pandemic and it's also going to help for future pandemics."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya Q about call to open up IP to widen access to vaccines.
Fauci says HIV shows that "you can make arrangements with companies that would allow them both to maintain a considerable amount of profit” and make sure there is access that’s "life-saving for literally millions of people"

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya “We don't have the time we had, we cannot afford to take 10 years for medicines or vaccines to reach developing countries this time”, says @mariangelasimao. “It took too long with HIV and too many people died unnecessarily."

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya @mariangelasimao Q about allergic reactions.
Reactions are "likely to the polyethylene glycol in the vaccine preparation”, says Fauci. "This has not been definitively proven yet. But this is something that has been suspected” and work is ongoing.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya @mariangelasimao People with history of allergic reactions should still get vaccinated. "We feel they can and should get vaccinated”, says Fauci. But recommends getting vaccinated “in a particular location that has the capability of treating anaphylactic reactions”.

@DrTedros @WHO @Columbia @DrNancyM_CDC @doctorsoumya @mariangelasimao About 4 to 5 anaphylactic reactions per million to the Pfizer vaccine and about 2 to 3 per million to Moderna vaccine, says Fauci citing recent paper. "So it's an unusual, rare interaction, but it should not be a contraindication for someone to get the vaccine”.