WHO calls for global moratorium on third dose of anti-covid vaccines

The WHO on Wednesday called for a moratorium on third injections of the Covid-19 vaccine until at least the end of September to fight drastic inequalities. in the distribution of doses between rich and poor countries.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged countries and companies that control the supply of doses to change course immediately and give priority to the less wealthy states.

The United Nations health agency raged for months against the obvious and growing imbalance, calling it a moral confrontation.

Last month, Israel has started rolling out booster vaccine for people over 60, while Germany announced on Tuesday that it would begin offering third doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. Yes Modern of two doses from September.

Tedros told a press conference that he understood why countries wanted to protect their citizens from Delta variant most transmissible virus, which was first identified in India.

“But we cannot accept that countries that have already used up most of the global vaccine supply are using even more, while the world’s most vulnerable people remain unprotected.”, He said.

“We need an urgent reversal of most vaccines for high-income countries, most vaccines for low-income countries.”

WHO targets G20 action

WHO wants all countries to have vaccinated at least 10 percent of their population by the end of September; at least the 40% by the end of this year and 70% by mid-2022.

At least 4.27 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, on the basis of a count of AFP.

In countries classified as high income for him world Bank, they injected 101 doses per 100 people.

This this figure drops to 1.7 doses per 100 people in the 29 lowest-income countries.

“As a result, the WHO is calling for a moratorium on reinforcements until at least the end of September.”Tedros said.

“For this to happen, nowe need everyone’s cooperationespecially from the handful of countries and companies that control the global vaccine supply. “

Tedros said that The G20 group of nations were the largest producers, consumers and donors of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“The course of the Covid-19 pandemic depends on the leadership of the G20”, He said.

Urged vaccine producers to prioritize Covax, the global program that tries to get vaccines for countries with less financial influence, which sent only 177 million doses to date.

Lack of evidence on reinforcements

While the The European Union announced on Tuesday that half of its population had been fully vaccinated, in Africa the figure is less than 2%., He said Bruce Aylward, WHO Covax Officer.

He said the a strengthening moratorium would make it possible to correct “extraordinary and growing inequalities”, specifying that the objective of the end of September will not be reached on the current trajectory.

Aylward said that the world ‘simply will not be able’ to come out of the pandemic if high coverage countries start using available doses for the third or even the fourth injection.

Kate o’brien, WHO chief of vaccines, added that there was no convincing data on the need for booster doses, given the level of protection provided by WHO-approved vaccines against serious illness, hospitalization and death.

“We don’t have a full body of evidence as to whether this is necessary or not.”, He said.

(With information from AFP)

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