Has WHO Approved Vaccine for COVID-19?

The World Health Organisation has cleared the air about the purported vaccine approved as a cure for the novel Coronavirus.

There had been a widespread report of a certain vaccine imported from China to cure Coronavirus in Nigeria and other African countries.

However, the WHO has clarified this saying up till this moment, there’s no known cure for the deadly virus.

WHO Immunization Team Lead, Dr Fiona Braka, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that researches are still ongoing on the deadly viral disease.

She, therefore, described as ‘untrue claims of vaccines developed for the COVID-19.

Recall that China had last week approved early-stage human tests for two experimental Coronavirus vaccines.

The vaccines are being developed by Sinovac Biotech and by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group.

Also, some, Israeli scientists have also announced the development of some vaccines that could cure COVID-19.

One of the world’s leading experts on the new coronavirus has however said there is no guarantee that a vaccine will be successfully developed, meaning that the threat is going to loom “for the foreseeable future.”

“You don’t necessarily develop a vaccine that is safe and effective against every virus,” Britain’s David Nabarro, a professor of global health at London’s Imperial College, and a World Health Organization envoy on COVID-19, said in an interview.

Braka, the WHO team lead insisted that no vaccine had been approved for COVID-19, adding that public safety was the key consideration of WHO campaign for now.

“COVID-19 is a new disease, and as such, there are no ready vaccines available to be deployed for the control of the pandemic.

“However, a lot of research and scientific works are ongoing to develop vaccines, but these usually take time to ensure that it is safe for use on the broader population and also effective for control of the pandemic.

“Public safety is a key consideration in this process,” the WHO team lead said.

“WHO is not aware of vaccine for COVID-19 in Nigeria.

“There is a large scientific study (clinical trial) involving many countries to review the effectiveness of some drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 going on at the moment.

“The result of this clinical trial will help understand the efficacy of these drugs and may inform the review of the case management guidelines,” she added.

The first confirmed case of the pandemic of coronavirus disease Nigeria was announced on 27 February 2020, when an Italian citizen in Lagos tested positive for the virus. Since then, the country has recorded 627 cases and 21 deaths so far.

As part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus, President Buhari, on March 29, announced a cessation of movement in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun States.  The lockdown went into effect at 11:00 pm on March 30 and will remain in place for an initial period of fourteen days.