The emergence of omicron has prompted some countries to roll out booster programmes for their entire adult populations even while we lack evidence for the effectiveness of boosters against this variant. At the same time evolving evidence suggests a small decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against severe disease and death and a decline in preventing mild disease or infection. We continue to call on donors and manufacturers to put COVAX and AVAT first. Although we expect further improvements in supply there are no guarantees and the hard-won gains we have made are fragile. Most countries are using vaccines as fast as they get them.Ī small group of countries are facing challenges rolling out vaccines and scaling up rapidly and WHO and our partners are working closely with those countries to overcome bottlenecks. In the past ten weeks COVAX has shipped more vaccines than in the first nine months of the year combined. Vaccines are tools that have the greatest impact when they're used to protect those who are most at risk in all countries. It's not vaccines instead of ventilation or hand hygiene.ĭo it all. Countries can and must prevent the spread of omicron with measures that work today. Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. Even if omicron does cause less severe disease the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems. Surely we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. We're concerned that people are dismissing omicron as mild. Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant. 77 countries have now reported cases of omicron and the reality is that omicron is probably in most countries even if it hasn't been detected yet.

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. With this I'll give the floor to Dr Tedros for the opening remarks. Before I give the floor to Dr Tedros, just to remind journalists to raise hand to be put in the queue to ask questions when we come to that.Īs always we have simultaneous interpretation in the six UN languages so journalists may use that option. We may have some other WHO experts online as well if needed. With us is also Dr Annamaria Henao Restrepo, who is Co-Lead on the Research and Development Blueprint here at WHO. He is Incident Manager on the COVID-19 Incident Management Support team. With us is also Dr Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the Director-General and Lead on the ACT Accelerator. We have also Dr Mariangela Simao, Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and health Products. We have Dr Tedros, WHO Director-General, Dr Mike Ryan, who is Executive Director of the WHO Programme for Emergencies, Dr Kate O'Brien, Director for Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals. My name is Tarik and I welcome you to today's briefing.Īs always we have a number of speakers and experts here with us today. It's December 14 th and it's 5:15 here in Geneva. Thank you very much for following the WHO press briefing on COVID-19 on Zoom for the reporters and all the others watching our social media platforms.

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