The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned scientists in nations across the globe against bypassing due process and protocols in their bid to produce vaccines aimed at treating and preventing the novel coronavirus.
The global health body said that the need to ensure several ethical steps are not skipped during research and clinical trials necessitated the warning and that the organization would not approve any vaccine that contravenes due process.
WHO chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said that the body, in line with ensuring public health and safety would not endorse any vaccine proven unsafe and ineffective for treatment of the deadly respiratory disease.
Briefing newsmen during the weekend at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Ghebreyesus revealed that no fewer than 30 potential vaccines were undergoing clinical trials, and eight of which were in final stage, phase III trials that required it being tested on humans.
“WHO will not endorse a vaccine that is not effective and safe,” Tedros said.
On his part, WHO Chief Scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, explained that results so far showed that around 10 percent of potential vaccines submitted for evaluation return with signs of positive results.
“No vaccine is going to be mass-deployed before the regulators are confident and the governments are confident and that WHO is confident that these vaccines have met the minimum standards of safety and efficacy,” he said.
