WHO/Grégoire le Bacon
A grandmother receives the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination at a government facility in Punaauia, Tahiti, French Polynesia.

Hope and vigilance as COVID-19 vaccines reach the Western Pacific

23 March 2021

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines begin to reach the Western Pacific Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) is working hard to support governments to introduce the vaccines to their populations, and to urge continued vigilance.

Several countries in the Region have received their first batches of vaccine, either procured independently or provided through the COVAX Facility – a partnership between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO. Recipients of the first wave of the COVAX supply include Cambodia, Fiji, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, the Philippines and Solomon Islands. This is an important step towards the goal of fair and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the Western Pacific Region and globally.

WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr Takeshi Kasai said, “The news of COVID-19 vaccines starting to roll out in countries around our Region is very promising. Safe and effective vaccines will be an important tool to protect people from COVID-19 and save lives.”

But he warned that vaccines alone would not end the pandemic.

“Even as vaccines are rolled out, we must stick to all the other measures that we know work to stop transmission: wash hands, wear masks, keep distance from others, and follow the advice of your local public health authorities.”

Preparing to protect those most at risk

WHO experts in the Region have been working with national governments, provincial health departments and development partners to share and apply the COVID-19 vaccine introduction toolkit and other WHO guidance. Priority areas include planning, regulatory preparedness, indemnification and liability, costing and funding, supply and logistics, human resources and training, vaccine safety, and data collation and analysis. WHO support to countries for communication is also continuing, to ensure the public know the facts and are informed about the vaccine roll-out in their countries and the ongoing need for other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

One of WHO’s most important roles is providing guidance on identifying priority groups to receive the vaccine. In the short term, the number of available vaccines will be limited in most countries. The priority thus is to protect people most exposed to infection and those most vulnerable to getting sick: front-line health workers, older people and people with chronic conditions.

In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, for example, WHO helped the Government facilitate a tabletop exercise with partners including UNICEF and embassy officials in the country to consider topics such as delivery strategies, acceptance and uptake, safety monitoring and challenges in rolling out the vaccine.

COVAX vaccines arrive

The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines will be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history. COVAX aims to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of this year.

Countries have a mix of doses provided through the COVAX Facility and independently procured vaccines. In early March, Fiji received 12 000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, marking the first batch of COVAX vaccines to arrive in the Pacific. Within three days, Fiji began administering the vaccine to front-line workers and high-risk population groups. Solomon Islands was the second Pacific nation to receive COVAX-procured vaccines, with an initial shipment of 24 000 doses.

Also in March, several countries in Asia received doses of vaccine from the COVAX Facility. Among them were Cambodia, which received its first shipment of 324 000 doses, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, which received 132 000 doses, Mongolia, which received 14 400 doses and the Philippines, which received 480 000 doses.

Ongoing vigilance crucial

Even as more countries receive and distribute vaccines, WHO urges governments, communities and individuals to continue the other prevention measures proven to reduce transmission of the virus.

Ongoing vigilance is needed. It will be some time before everyone has access to COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, current evidence shows that existing COVID-19 vaccines are effective at reducing severe disease and deaths, but it is still unknown how effective they are at preventing people from becoming infected with the virus and transmitting it.

In addition, while the new vaccines are showing promising results, no vaccine is 100% effective. There are still some areas of uncertainty, for example how the vaccines work in specific age groups such as children, as clinical trials have not included those groups, and how effective they are against emerging variants of the virus.

For the foreseeable future, we must all continue to keep our hands clean, wear masks, and practice physical distancing.

COVID-19 is a reminder that our collective health is based on individual actions. Only by working together in solidarity and continuing to take proven risk reduction and protection measures can we protect ourselves, our families and communities.

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