Covid: Vaccines will take time to stop pandemic, says WHO
The World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, has backed a warning from German Chancellor Angela Merkel that it will take some time for the new coronavirus vaccines to turn the pandemic around.
Mrs Merkel told the German parliament the country would not be able to vaccinate enough of its citizens to change the course of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2021.
Mr Kluge said the delayed effects of vaccination programmes highlighted the need to prioritise key workers and vulnerable groups first.
He also warned of the effects of relaxing rules too much around Christmas: "I am very concerned. Now every 17 seconds someone is dying of Covid-19 which may double if people are relaxing," he told BBC World News.