Vaccine won't be the end of COVID-19: WHO

Over 3.3 million cases and more than 205,000 deaths have been recorded in Europe, with fears of a second wave rising with infections in Spain and France.

The European Commission agreed to buy at least 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine in its first such advance purchase deal, which could weaken plans led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a global approach.

The EU's bilateral deal mirrors moves by the United States and other wealthy states, some of which are critical of the WHO's initiative, and further reduces the potentially available stock in the race to secure effective COVID-19 vaccines.

Speaking on Thursday (August 20), Kluge also warned countries to be prepared for the coming influenza season as the end of summer approaches.