Vaccines: France’s selfishness in the face of WHO’s request for solidarity

President Emmanuel Macron announced today that France will administer a third dose of vaccine vs coronavirus to “the elderly and vulnerable” from September, despite the request of the World Health Organization (WHO) to reserve these doses for countries which have more difficulty in accessing medicines.

“Yes, it will probably take one. third dose, not for everyone immediately, but at least for the elderly and the most vulnerable, ”said Macron in a video posted on social networks.

In fact in France a recommended third dose only to people who are immunocompromised, such as those who have received a transplant.

Other European countries, such as Germany, have already announced that they will administer a booster vaccine the elderly and vulnerable from September, as well as those who have not received the vaccine with messenger RNA technology, considered more effective.

The announcement comes later a day after the WHO call on the rich countries to wait “at least at the end of September” to apply third dose.

“There is an urgent need to change things: that most vaccines stop going to rich countries so that they go to poor“Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the health agency, said at a press conference.

He noted that the suspension of this booster inoculation it should last “at least until the end of September” to “allow the vaccination of at least 10% of the population of each country” by the end of this year.

The inequality The current situation means that in low-income countries only 1.5 doses have been administered per 100 people, while this figure rises to almost 100 doses per 100 inhabitants in the rich.