Experts under WHO’s coordination working towards development of COVID-19 vaccine

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that a group of experts from diverse backgrounds are working for COVID-19 vaccine development under its coordination. The WHO published the declaration of scientists, physicians, funders and manufacturers who have come together as part of an international collaboration to help speed the availability of a vaccine against COVID-19.

The group of experts applauded the implementation of community intervention measures to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus. They pledged to use the time gained by the widespread adoption of such measures to develop a vaccine as rapidly as possible and continue the efforts to strengthen the worldwide collaboration and sharing of data.

“We will work tenaciously to increase the likelihood that one or more safe and effective vaccines will soon be made available to all,” the experts declared.

They urged everyone to follow recommendations to prevent the transmission and thanked for trusting the scientific community. The declaration has over 125 signatories which include participants from the US, Canada, Spain, South Korea, Netherlands, Japan, Italy, the UK and France among others.

Read: WHO Terms COVID-19 '10 Times Deadlier Than Swine Flu', Lists Lockdown Relaxation Criteria

According to the latest report, over 1.9 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with more than 119,700 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe. Governments across the world are trying to contain the spread of coronavirus and flatten the curve to buy enough time of scientists and researchers to develop the vaccine against COVID-19 and complete clinical trial.

Read: PM Modi Issues Clarion Call For India's Young Scientists To Develop A Coronavirus Vaccine

R&D Blueprint initiative

The UN health agency said that it has activated its R&D Blueprint initiative to accelerate the development of diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19. In its R&D blueprint of an international randomised trial of candidate vaccines against COVID-19, the WHO said that the solidarity trial increases the likelihood that participants receive one of the candidate vaccines while improving the efficiency of the clinical trial, promoting efficient allocation of world-wide clinical trial resources.

Read: Oxford Team Eyeing Coronavirus vaccine By September 2020; '80% Sure' It'll Succeed

Read: European Union Says Elderly May Have To Isolate Till 2020-end; Cites Lack Of Covid Vaccine

(Image Credit: Twitter / @DrTedros)