“Hundreds of seroprevalence studies have been done around the world, which vary in quality, methods and the type of tests used”, says @DrTedros at @WHO #covid19 presser. “They tell us that most of the world’s population remains susceptible to infection with the #covid19 virus"

"We are still learning how strong immune responses are in different populations and for how long this immune response lasts”, says @drtedros.

Who to prioritise in vaccination campaigns “are not easy decisions”, says @DrTedros. "Vaccinating health workers who are at high risk of infection will help to protect them and the health system.”

"People at highest risk of serious disease or death as a result of age are also a high priority group because protecting them will reduce severe disease and death and take the burden off health systems”, says @DrTedros.

"As supply increases, the next groups would include those who have higher risk of severe disease because of their underlying conditions, and marginalized groups at higher risk”, says @DrTedros.

But important not to let up in efforts to control virus, @DrTedros warns. "In the initial stages of rollout, with only a small proportion of a country’s population immunized it’s vital that governments, communities and individuals continue using proven public health tools"

Q: Has WHO talked to the health team of the incoming Biden administration?
There has been no formal contact so far, says @DrTedros. “As you know, some of them were just announced a few hours ago."

Q about vaccine hesitancy.
Vaccines will only have an impact if people get immunised, says @Kate_L_OBrien. “We do want people to be informed about the science, we want people to be fully informed about the evidence that regulators and policy recommending bodies are reviewing."

Trust in where the information is coming from will be crucial, says @Kate_L_OBrien. “So information really does need to come from the most local level possible, from trusted providers, from people's physicians or the nurse that they go to."

Q about defining close contacts.
Think of it like you do of sunlight and skin cancer, says @DrMikeRyan. Hard to know what exact moment causes a cell to be cancerous, but the more time you spend unprotected in the sun the higher your risk is.

“It's a horrible thing to think that we would be here as the World Health Organization, saying to people 'don't hug each other'”, says @DrMikeRyan. “It's terrible. But that is the brutal reality in places like the United States right now."

“The epidemic in the US is punishing”, says @DrMikeRyan, with almost 1 in 3 global cases in the US. “It's quite frankly shocking to see one or two persons a minute die in the US, a country with a wonderful strong health system, amazing technological capacities.”

Q about making vaccine mandatory.
"I think we are much better served to present people with the data and present people with the benefits and let people make up their own minds”, says @drmikeryan. But in some circumstances, "the only responsible thing would be to be vaccinated”.