Prominent leaders willing to be vaccinated in public to built trust

Former US Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Photo: AFP

The World Health Organisation has warned that vaccines will be no magic bullet for the coronavirus crisis as nations gear up for a massive rollout to tackle surging infections.

The word of caution comes as the United States clocked a record number of Covid-19 cases for a second day in a row, with the country preparing for what US President-elect Joe Biden has called a "dark winter"

Meanwhile, a growing number of leaders are saying they plan to be vaccinated in public to build trust.

US president-elect Joe Biden said Thursday he was willing to be vaccinated in public -- following up on similar commitments from former US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday he was also willing to be filmed getting vaccinated to promote public confidence.

Anti-vaccine sentiment has been rising in recent years, which could hamper efforts to reach a sufficient number of people to force down the spread of the virus.