Countries around the world should not wait for the COVID-19 vaccine before lifting coronavirus-fueled restrictions, Dr. Catherine Smallwood, a senior emergencies officer of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, said on Thursday, APA reports citing Sputnik.
“With regards to the vaccine, no, WHO is not saying you need to wait for a vaccine [before lifting the restrictions]. We do not know when a vaccine will be available for using on the population. What we need to do is to take action now based on the epidemiological situation,” Smallwood said during an online briefing.
She added that the international community should get used to the period “of a new normal” before the vaccine would become available.
“We know that there are over 70 vaccines currently in trials. There is a huge push in the research and development community to move forward. But we are also aware that in reality we know that it normally takes several years for a vaccine to be developed,” Smallwood said.
According to the expert, the vaccine could be available in 18 months, but the WHO could not make an exact prognosis.
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