In Thursday’s announcement, Dr. Mariângela Simão, WHO’s Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, underlined the need for worldwide access to the vaccine. "This is a very positive step towards ensuring global access to COVID-19 vaccines," Simão said. "But I want to emphasize the need for an even greater global effort to achieve enough vaccine supply to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere." "WHO and our partners are working night and day to evaluate other vaccines that have reached safety and efficacy standards," Simão added. "We encourage even more developers to come forward for review and assessment. It’s vitally important that we secure the critical supply needed to serve all countries around the world and stem the pandemic."