The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
The World Health Organization (WHO) today emphasized that based on evidence, the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination greatly outweigh the potential risk of side effects of the vaccines and that the effectiveness of the current vaccines relies on people taking all of their recommended doses. As of January 2023, 83 % of the global population has been vaccinated.
“The vaccines that we have to protect from COVID-19 are really effective, they are highly effective by preventing severe disease and death, though they are less effective at stopping people from getting infected or from transmitting to somebody else”, said Dr Kate O’BRIEN, WHO’s Director for Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at a press briefing at the United Nations in Geneva. However, she said, that “maximizing this effectiveness against hospitalization, severe disease and death really does rely on people taking all the recommended doses and that’s particularly important for people who are in high-priority groups”.
Based on US data systems that monitors for vaccine safety, concern was fueled in recent weeks about the mRNA vaccines increasing the risk of strokes in the older population.
According to Dr. O’Brien, “the evaluation of reports to that and other national vaccines safety monitoring systems has not found further evidence to substantiate this signal of the mRNA vaccine and strokes. But I do want to emphasize that we have already known that there is a risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, that has also received attention recently”.
This has been linked to COVID-19 vaccines, so WHO, but is a rare event. When it occurs, it is typically mild, responsive to treatment and less serious than myocarditis found with COVID-19 disease, or myocarditis of other cause.
“What I really want to emphasize that our advice to the public remains that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination greatly outweigh the potential risk. This is based on evidence”, confirmed WHO’s Dr. Kate O’Brien. Not getting vaccinated puts people at a higher risk of death or severe illness from COVID.
WHO also stressed that maximizing the effectiveness of the current vaccines relies on people taking all of their recommended doses.
“For the strains that we have circulating in the world now, the Omicron strains, the first booster dose actually improves the performance of your primary series for protection against the severe end of the disease spectrum”, said WHO’s Director for Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. “So, you actually need three doses to get that optimal protection from vaccines”.
Regarding routine immunisation, Dr. O’Brien also emphasized the importance that having the vaccines is not sufficient. It also needs to reach the people who need them. In 2021 alone, 25 million children missed routine vaccination.
“We have over 50 million children cumulatively that now missed out on critical vaccines against measles, rubella, diphtheria and other of the life threating infections for which we vaccinate”, said Dr. Brien.
Hence, in 2023, WHO is committing to an intensification of immunization activities for children.
-ends-
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with spokesperson and speaker on screens.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr Kate O’BRIEN, Director, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (WHO): “The vaccines that we have to protect from COVID-19 are really effective, they are highly effective by preventing severe disease and death, though they are less effective at stopping people from getting infected or from transmitting to somebody else. But maximizing this effectiveness against hospitalization, severe disease and death really does rely on people taking all the recommended doses and that’s particularly important for people who are in high-priority groups”.
- Medium shot, journalists listening
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr Kate O’BRIEN, Director, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (WHO): “The evaluation of reports to that and other national vaccines safety monitoring systems has not found further evidence to substantiate this signal of the mRNA vaccine and strokes. But I do want to emphasize that we have already known that there is a risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, that has also received attention recently”.
- Close up, camera view finder showing spokesperson and WHO Director
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr Kate O’BRIEN, Director, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (WHO): “What I really want to emphasize that our advice to the public remains that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination greatly outweigh the potential risk. This is based on evidence”.
- Close up, journalists listening.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr Kate O’BRIEN, Director, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (WHO): “We have over 50 million children cumulatively that now missed out on critical vaccines against measles, rubella, diphtheria and other of the life threating infections for which we vaccinate”.
- Close up, journalists listening.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Dr Kate O’BRIEN, Director, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (WHO): “For the strains that we have circulating in the world now, the Omicron strains, the first booster dose actually improves the performance of your primary series for protection against the severe end of the disease spectrum. So, you actually need three doses to get that optimal protection from vaccines”.
- Medium shot, journalists with screen with speakers in background
- Wide shot, journalists listening.
- Close-up, journalists’ hands typing
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council during a meeting on the Israeli strike on negotiators in Qatar on Tuesday. “Israel’s strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: Thirsty and starving, war-battered families face ‘inhumane’ evacuation
As bombs continue to fall on Gaza City as part of the intensifying Israeli military operation, families with starving children are being pushed southwards from one “hellscape” to another, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
New UN Human Rights report finds 10 years of increased suffering repression and fear
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday published a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 2014.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNICEF , UNHCR
The ongoing humanitarian response to the devastating Afghanistan earthquake disaster continued on Friday, although essential services have been cut for operational reasons following reinforced Taliban restrictions on women working with the UN, the global body said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Un nouveau rapport du Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme sur la République démocratique du Congo évoque le spectre de crimes de guerre et de crimes contre l'humanité dans le Nord et le Sud-Kivu.,
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
A high-level independent rights probe into the Sudan crisis on Tuesday condemned the many grave crimes committed against civilians by all parties to the war, citing disturbing evidence indicating that they had been “deliberately targeted, displaced and starved”.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ukraine: ‘Relentless’ attacks rattle health system as winter approaches: WHO
Ambulances attacked, chronically ill patients lacking care and no peace in sight: for millions of Ukrainians, the run-up to another winter of war is just the latest life-or-death challenge they face, the UN health agency (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his report on Sri Lanka to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his global update to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
A UN report on the Democratic Republic of Congo raises specter of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu, according to UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
As billions of people continue to breathe polluted air that causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths every year, UN climate experts on Friday highlighted how damaging microscopic smoke particles from wildfires play their part, travelling half-way across the world.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence made the following comment on the on-going presidential election process in Cameroon at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.