There is no guarantee that a COVID-19 vaccine will be developed soon, according to the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom.
Tedros made the remarks at a media briefing on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, where he noted that any vaccine once developed will not rid the world of the deadly virus.
“A vaccine will be a vital tool, and we hope that we will have one as soon as possible,” said the WHO chief. “But there’s no guarantee that we will, and even if we do have a vaccine, it won’t end the pandemic on its own.”
The remarks came as the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections globally surpassed 22.7 million with a death toll exceeding 794,000.
Tedros called upon countries not to lay down their guard in the fight against the pandemic, noting that some countries that had started seeing a decline in infections were now reporting a rise in numbers.
“Progress does not mean victory,” he said. “The fact remains that most people remain susceptible to this virus.”
