GENEVA (Associated Press) – The United Nations health agency, which has repeatedly urged the world to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and other diseases, on Friday refused to say how many of its staff followed that advice.
“We’re not going to get that because it’s confidential,” said Dr Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization.
Referring to UN staff, UN spokeswoman in Geneva Alessandra Vellucci said: “We do not disclose this kind of information. It is something that is said to the medical service. So, no, unfortunately, we will not be able to give you those numbers.”
Vellucci said she would look into the possibility of providing the percentages of UN staff who have been vaccinated.
In November, the World Health Organization indicated that 65 of its employees had tested positive for COVID-19 at the time, Confirm information in an internal email Obtained by the Associated Press. The United Nations office in Geneva has often indicated the number of staff who have tested positive for the virus.
Governments list how many people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, and the World Health Organization is collecting information and reports on it. Some countries and companies require vaccinations for their workers to go to their jobs.
The refusal of the World Health Organization and the United Nations itself to provide vaccination numbers indicates the legal restrictions many organizations face regarding privacy, particularly in Europe.
The United Nations and the World Health Organization have repeatedly announced vaccination as part of a suite of measures such as wearing masks, proper hygiene and physical distancing needed to help try to beat the pandemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he has been vaccinated, and encouraged others to do so as well. His agency and many health authorities around the world have struggled to weather the wave of anti-vaccine sentiment in many places.
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