COVID vaccine likely by mid-2021: WHO scientist 

COVID vaccine likely by mid-2021: WHO scientist 

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Health/Social issue; International Organization 

About: 

• WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that a realistic timeline to start receiving the first million doses of COVID vaccine is mid­2021. 
• She also warned that it might take longer “as it is not easy to understand the virus completely.” 

COVAX initiative 

• It aims at having two billion doses of the vaccine by the end of 2021. 
• COVAX Facility is a mechanism to ensure free, rapid and equitable access to COVID­19 vaccines across the world. 

Do you know? 

• Around 27 vaccines are in clinical trials, and another 150 odd are in pre­clinical testing.