WHO says vaccines won't prevent short-term COVID-19 surge
Calling on people to maintain social distancing and respect other measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19, as it believes that there will not be enough quantities of coronavirus vaccines in the next three to six months to prevent a surge of infections.
'We are not going to have sufficient vaccinations in place to prevent a surge in cases for three to six months,' WHO top emergency expert Mike Ryan was quoted as saying by Reuters during a social media event.
WHO further warned people to always wear masks in shops, workplaces and schools that lack adequate ventilation.
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"If they cannot maintain physical distancing of at least one metre (3 feet), people in those indoor locations including children and students aged 12 or above should wear a mask even if the spaces are well ventilated," it said in a tightening of its guidelines on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday hailed the "searchlights of science" which have fought back against the "invisible enemy" COVID-19 with an approved Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine but urged the British public to not get carried away with "over optimism".
Addressing a 10 Downing Street briefing to confirm that the vaccine will be ready to be deployed to the highest risk categories by next week, Johnson stressed that it remains important that the country follows the tiered COVID Winter Plan and remain under alert to get through the long and cold months ahead before the vaccine administration process is in full swing by early next year.
"We have been waiting and hoping for the day when the searchlights of science would pick out our invisible enemy and give us the power to stop that enemy from making us ill – and now the scientists have done it," said Johnson.
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