A vaccination site at the Trinh Hoai Duc stadium in Hanoi (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Dr Kidong Park, Representative of the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) in Vietnam, has made recommendations for Vietnam on COVID-19prevention and control in the fourth wave of outbreaks, in which he emphasised vaccinationsand affirmed that the organisation will accompany Vietnam.
Following is the text of Dr Park’s interview granted to Vietnamese media onAugust 6
1. What is efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines approved in WHO EUL for Delta variant?
To date, at least 17 vaccine products have been deployed of which seven vaccineproducts have been approved by WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedures.
These are vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca/Oxford,AstraZeneca/Serum Institute India, Janssen, Moderna, Sinopharm/BBIP andSinovac.
WHO is closely monitoring the effectiveness of these vaccines in the realworld, including the impact of variants of concern on vaccine effectiveness.
Available data as of August 6, 2021 indicates that these vaccines are stilleffective in preventing severe COVID-19 against the Delta variant thougheffectiveness in preventing symptomatic disease seems reduced.
WHO message is clear that when it is your turn to get vaccinated, take thevaccine available to you. It protects you and the people around you. It alsoreduces the chance of further circulation of the Delta variant and emergence ofother variants.
Illustrative photo (Source: bioworld.com)2. What about Sinopharm vaccine, can it provide protection against Delta variant?
During the Emergency Use Listing process, WHO assessed the efficacy, safety andquality of the Sinopharm vaccine. A large multi-country phase 3 trial has showntwo doses of Sinopharm vaccine administered at an interval of 21 days have anefficacy of 79 percent against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection 14 or more daysafter the second dose.
WHO concluded that the known benefits of the Sinopharm vaccine outweigh therisks that are known or considered possible.
WHO currently recommends the use of the Sinopharm vaccine according to the WHOPrioritization Roadmap, even if variants are present in the country.
3. There are currently opinions about vaccines that are “better” and “moreefficacious” compared to the others. What are WHO recommendations on thisissue?
All the vaccines that have achieved WHO Emergency Use Listing have met criteriaof efficacy, safety and quality set by WHO through extensive consultation ofinternational experts. They are highly effective in preventing severe diseaseand hospitalization due to COVID-19.
WHO is closely monitoring the effectiveness of these vaccine in the real worldincluding the impact of variants of concern on vaccine effectiveness; and weupdate our recommendation if needed.
WHO message is clear that when it is your turn to get vaccinated, take thevaccine available to you. It protects you and the people around you. It alsoreduces the chance of further circulation of the Delta variant and emergence ofother variants.
4. Why should we be concerned about the Delta variant?
WHO is closely monitoring the emergence of new variants and its characteristicssuch as transmissibility and disease severity as well as its impact ondiagnostics and vaccine.
The Delta variant is a variant of concern that WHO is tracking and monitoringaround the world.
Available data as of 6 August 2021 indicates that the Delta variant showsincreased transmissibility and increased risk of hospitalization. These are ourconcern. Delta variant is now reported in 135 countries, including Vietnam. Ithas become the dominant variant in many countries.
Good news is that the vaccine is still effective in preventing severe COVID-19against the Delta variant though effectiveness in preventing symptomaticdisease seems reduced.
There are ways to fight the Delta variant:
First, continue to practice 5K: wear mask consistently, be in ventilatedspaces, practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, avoid crowding andfill out health declaration.
Second, get vaccinated when it is your turn, with the vaccine available to you.Vaccines continue to be protective against severe disease and death when facedwith the Delta variant.
5. What is WHO assessment about the implementation of vaccination in Vietnam?Is it effective? What’s more need to be done?
WHO commends the Government’s highest level commitment on the COVID-19vaccination. WHO’s global targets are to vaccinate at least 10 percent of thepopulation of every country by September 2021, at least 40 percent by the endof 2021, and 70% globally by the middle of 2022. These are the criticalmilestones we must reach together to end the pandemic.
Many countries are facing difficulty to secure sufficient vaccines, not only Vietnam. WHO acknowledges that the Government of Vietnamhas made maximum effort day and night for supplying vaccines to save thecitizens.
Now more vaccines are arriving in the country, whichis a good news.
All the provinces, districts and communes should speed up its vaccination rollout activities so as to achieve the goal set by the Government and recommendedby WHO.
WHO appreciates every single personnel working so hard for this unprecedentedvaccination campaign. WHO recommends to give priority to health care workers,the frontline workers and people who are higher risk of severe diseases anddeaths -- the elderly, and people with comorbidities.
There are several vaccine products available in the country. New type ofvaccine will be available in the near future.
All the vaccines that have achieved WHO Emergency Use Listing have met thecriteria of efficacy, safety and quality set by WHO through extensiveconsultation of international experts. They are highly effective in preventingsevere disease and hospitalization due to COVID-19.
WHO message is clear that when it is your turn to get vaccinated, take thevaccine available to you. It protects you and the people around you. It alsoreduces the chance of further circulation of the Delta variant and emergence ofother variants.
I want to remind you that safe and effective vaccines are critical to endingthe COVID-19 pandemic but they are not a ‘silver bullet’. Vaccines alone won'tstop the community transmission. We should continue to apply 5K -- use masksconsistently, be in ventilated spaces, practice hand hygiene and respiratoryetiquette, avoid crowding and fill out health declaration. These measures stillcontinue to be extremely important, even if you are vaccinated, especially inprovinces with ongoing community transmission.
6. WHO assessment about the outbreak prevention and control of Vietnam in this fourthwave? What should Vietnam focus on?
Just like many countries in the world, Vietnam is now facing a very complicatedand concerning outbreak situation. We observe high numbers of daily recordedcases and deaths over the past weeks, especially from Ho Chi Minh City andneighboring provinces.
We also observe cases with unknown or unclear epidemiological links reportedfrom many provinces besides Ho Chi Minh City. This trend is concerning as itindicates a very high risk of onwards community transmission.
A surge in number of severe cases and deaths is also expected given theincreasing number of cases. Health care facilities in hotspot provinces are reportedto be overwhelmed in responding to the current situation. So it is legitimateto say that the health system is currently under extreme pressure and thehealth workers are overstretched. However, we have also noted that thegovernment is making all efforts to combat this battle for the better.
The task ahead is enormous and the battle against the pandemic will be long andwould demand massive resources.
WHO remains confident in the Government’s whole-of-society approach that hasbeen led by the National Steering Committee from the beginning of thispandemic.
We are all in this together. It is not only the role of the Government and thehealth system to control this outbreak, it is everybody’s responsibility toensure Vietnam once again wins over the virus.
We remind the public that regardless of the variant, the same protectivemeasures work. People need to continue to apply 5K – wear masks consistently,be in ventilated spaces, practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, avoidcrowding and fill out health declaration. And if it is your turn, getvaccinated with the vaccine offered to you. These measures remain extremelyimportant./.
VNA
