COVID-19 Testing Still Vital Even As Vaccines Roll Out: WHO Chief

Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that monitoring will continue to be a vital weapon against COVID-19, even as vaccines are deployed against the disease.

The WHO Chief also stressed how common testing among countries that have worked to contain the virus has been done during his daily briefing on the crisis, reports UN news.

“As vaccines are rolled out, testing will continue to play a vital role”, he said.

“Initially, health workers, older people and other at-risk groups will be prioritised for vaccination. That will still leave the virus with a lot of room to move, and testing will remain a vital tool for controlling the pandemic.”

However, Tedros stressed that though vital, testing is only part of the strategy against COVID-19.

“Testing is the spotlight that shows where the virus is. Investments in testing must be matched by investments in isolation facilities, clinical care, protecting health workers, contact tracing, cluster investigation and supported quarantine”, he stated.

More evaluation needed 

Meanwhile, WHO said more information is needed concerning the vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

The partners announced this week that clinical trials showed a regimen consisting of one half-dose of the vaccine, followed by a full dose a month later, was more effective than two full doses.

Dr. Katherine O’Brien, Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO, underlined the need for further evaluation as the data were reported in a press release.

“I think what we can emphasize, though, is that from what we understand about the press release, there is certainly something interesting that has been observed. But there are many reasons that could underlie the differences that were observed,” she said.

WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminatha pointed out that according to the press release, fewer than 3,000 people were given a lower dose regimen, all of whom were 55 years of age or younger.

She added that the other party consisted of more than 8,000 people of different ages, making it very difficult to equate the two, though overall, their numbers were too limited to draw any final conclusions.

“It would be speculation at this point,” Dr. Swaminathan told reporters.

She said AstraZeneca has informed WHO that it intends to run a full trial of the lower-dose regimen.

Lessons from Ebola

Global experience with storage and distribution of the Ebola vaccine could inform delivery of any potential inoculation against COVID-19 once developed, according to WHO.

“There is demonstrated experience of delivering ultra-cold chain vaccines, even in some of the most difficult and remote areas,” said Dr. O’Brien.  “But that has also taken enormous resources to do that.”

The WHO official was responding to a journalist’s question concerning the experimental vaccine developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech, which was recently submitted to authorities in the United States for emergency approval.

The vaccine, which has shown a more than 90 per cent efficacy rate, requires very cold storage of -70 degrees Celsius or below, prompting concerns about potential distribution in African countries.

No one vaccine is enough

“We do have experience in a number of countries, specifically in Africa, being able to deploy a vaccine with that ultra-cold chain requirement”, said Dr. O’Brien, referring to the Merck Ebola vaccine used in outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“So, as we anticipate the use of the Pfizer vaccine, the intention is certainly to be able to use it along with other vaccines because no one vaccine is going to have adequate supply, nor will any one vaccine necessarily have suitable operational characteristics to meet all of the needs.”

Dr. O'Brien added that Pfizer has created a special "shipper" capable of preserving the vaccine temperature for up to 10 to 15 days.

In addition, the vaccine can be kept at refrigerated temperatures for five days, continued, while portable freezers that do not run on electricity and even dry ice can also be used.

Innovate for delivery

As ultra-cold chain logistics do not exist everywhere even in high-income countries, Dr. O'Brien indicated that countries need to "innovate" around frameworks for distributing COVID-19 vaccines that have this requirement.

One solution may be to use them to immunize some parts of the population.

She cited health professionals as an example, because they work in facilities where immunization would take place and where it would be easier to install the ultra-cold chain freezers.

Move your body

While the pandemic has put many constraints on our lives, there is no reason to sit on the sofa, the WHO said on Friday, announcing new guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, published this week.

Exercise is important to life-long physical and mental health, the Agency said, but one in four adults and four in five teenagers do not exercise enough.

The guidelines recommend between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week for adults, and an average of 60 minutes per day for children and adolescents.