Thread by @WHO

LIVE: Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros and Secretary-General @antonioguterres. #VaccinEquity twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "At this press conference almost exactly one year ago, I said that the world was eagerly anticipating the results of trials of vaccines against #COVID19.
I said that once we had a 💉, we must use it effectively, by making sure it’s available to all countries equitably"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "The development and approval of #COVID19 vaccines in record time took us to the summit of scientific achievement; now we stand on the precipice of failure, if we don’t make the benefits of science available to all people in all countries, right now"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "More than 6.4 billion vaccine doses have now been administered globally, and almost one-third of the world’s population is fully vaccinated against #COVID19. But those numbers mask a horrifying inequity"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "High- and upper-middle income countries have used 75% of all #COVID19 vaccines produced so far.

Low-income countries have received less than half of one percent of the world’s vaccines. In Africa, less than 5% of people are fully vaccinated"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "As you know, earlier this year WHO set a target for all countries to vaccinate 10% of their populations by the end of September. 56 countries didn’t make it, through no fault of their own"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1443687132242006019?s=20

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "Today, WHO is launching the Strategy to Achieve Global #COVID19 Vaccination by mid-2022.
It outlines the road we must all take together to achieve our targets of vaccinating 40% of the population of every country by the end of 2021, and 70% by the middle of next year"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "Achieving these targets will require at least 11 billion vaccine doses.

This is not a supply problem; it’s an allocation problem"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1446110407869956105?s=20

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "By the end of September, almost 6.5 billion doses had already been administered 🌍. With global #COVID19 vaccine production now at nearly 1.5 billion doses per month, there is enough supply to achieve our targets, provided they are distributed equitably"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "Contracts are in place for the remaining 5 billion doses. But it’s critical that those doses go where they are needed most – with priority given to older people, health workers and other at-risk groups"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1446110766784921613?s=20

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "We can only achieve our targets if the countries and companies that control #COVID19 vaccine supply put contracts for #COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust – or AVAT – first for deliveries and donated doses"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 #𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃𝟏𝟗 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥, 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "We must remember that #COVID19 vaccines are a powerful tool, but not the only one – all countries must continue with a comprehensive, risk-based approach of public health and social measures, in combination with equitable vaccination"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "#VaccinEquity will accelerate the end of the #COVID19 pandemic. Achieving WHO’s vaccine equity targets will substantially increase population immunity globally, protect health systems, enable economies to fully restart, and reduce the risk of new variants emerging"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @antonioguterres "Today I’m delighted to be joined by the @UN Secretary-General, @antonioguterres, who like us, has long called for global #VaccinEquity. As he said, this plan can only succeed with everyone’s cooperation"-@DrTedros

"We call on all countries to update their national #COVID19 vaccine targets and plans, to guide manufacturing investment and vaccine distribution"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"We call on countries with high #COVID19 vaccine coverage to swap delivery schedules with #COVAX and AVAT, and to fulfil their dose-sharing pledges immediately"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"We call on #COVID19 vaccine-producing countries to allow free cross-border flow of finished vaccines and raw materials, and to enable sharing of know-how, technology and licenses"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"We call on vaccine manufacturers to:
-prioritize & fulfil contracts with #COVAX & AVAT as a matter of urgency
-be more transparent on what is going where
-share know-how & non-exclusive licenses to enable all regions to increase manufacturing capacity"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"We call on civil society, community organizations and the private sector to continue to advocate local, nationally and globally for equitable access not just to vaccines, but also to tests and treatments"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #ACTogether

"We call on all countries to ensure they have the capacities in place to use all #COVID19 vaccine doses as rapidly and efficiently as possible"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"We call on global and regional multilateral development banks to support countries to more rapidly access the capital they need to fund #COVID19 vaccine delivery programmes"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros The WHO Strategy to Achieve Global #COVID19 Vaccination by mid-2022 👇
bit.ly/3uS7itW #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "Although #VaccinEquity will help to end the pandemic, its effects will continue to be felt for many years – especially for the people who have been infected and will continue to suffer from the effects of post #COVID19 condition, also known as “long COVID”"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "Yesterday, after a global consultation with patients and experts, WHO published a clinical case definition for post #COVID19 condition"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1446089970758860801?s=20

@DrTedros "The definition says that post #COVID19 condition usually occurs 3 months from the onset of COVID-19, with symptoms that last for at least 2 months, & which cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1446101365558808577?s=20

@DrTedros "Some patients have reported symptoms of post #COVID19 condition for much longer than 2 months.

Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction, and others that have an impact on everyday functioning"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "This standardized definition will help clinicians to identify patients more easily & provide them the appropriate care, & is crucial for advancing recognition & research. WHO encourages all national authorities, policy makers & clinicians to adopt this definition"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros The full remarks by @DrTedros at the media briefing on #COVID19 - 7 October 2021: bit.ly/3DlFRM0

The full remarks by @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres: un.org/sg/en/node/259…