Covid-19 vaccine news 'encouraging', but no time for 'complacency': WHO chief

As the news by top coronavirus vaccine candidate Moderna is creating a lot of buzz, the World Health Organization chief has called it "encouraging", but warned that "complacency" must be avoided. 

"This is no time for complacency," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a virtual briefing on Monday, as quoted by news agency AFP. 

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"This is a dangerous virus, which can attack every system in the body. Those countries that are letting the virus run unchecked are playing with fire."

Also read | Why data from Moderna's experimental vaccine is truly groundbreaking

The pharma company released early results from a clinical trial which included 30,000 participants after Americ's Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech last week said their Covid-19 vaccine was 90 per cent effective. 

Earlier, hopes rose on Monday amid Covid-19's grim after news broke that Moderna's vaccine was found to be about 95 per cent effective in a trial. 

The pharma company released early results from a clinical trial which included 30,000 participants after America's Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech last week said their Covid-19 vaccine was 90 per cent effective. 

"This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease," said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.

However, the WHO chief has said that finding the vaccine "will not end the pandemic".