Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that while WHO is working to accelerate access to and delivery of vaccines, we will not take shortcuts, and stressed that although vaccines are a powerful tool, they are by no means the only ones.

The WHO chief explained that the manufacturers of the two vaccines submitted their requests for inclusion in the list of vaccines for emergency use on Friday, August 23, a process that aims to review those requests as quickly as possible.

He also noted that the two major purchasers of vaccines for low-income countries, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), require inclusion on the WHO Emergency Use Listing Procedure (EUL) to purchase injectable vaccines for low-income countries that have not issued their national licenses.

Adhanom Ghebreyesus recalled that he gave GAVI and UNICEF the green light last week to proceed with procuring vaccines in parallel with the EUL. This does not constitute an obstacle to the use of vaccines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

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