A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday that only public health measures, not vaccines, can prevent a new surge of COVID-19 cases, as the first vaccines are administered in Britain.

"Vaccines are a great tool, they will be very helpful, but the effect of the vaccine in providing some kind of immune barrier is still far off," said WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris, asked at a Geneva briefing whether the vaccines would come in time to prevent a third wave of cases in Europe.

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