WHO, IMF, WB and WTO have launched a joint request to vaccine producers to prioritize delivery of doses to poor countries

In a joint statement, Leaders from the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have called on countries with more advanced immunization programs to release their doses for less fortunate states..

“We reiterate the urgency of providing access to vaccines, tests and treatments against covid-19 to developing countries,” they said.

“Regarding vaccines, a key limitation is the acute and alarming shortage of dose delivery to low and lower middle income countries, particularly in the remainder of 2021 “they stressed.

“We ask countries with advanced vaccination programs to release as soon as possible as much of their contracted doses as they can to Covax, AVAT (the African Vaccine Acquisition Fund) and income countries low and lower middle.” They asked.

Covax is a WHO-led mechanism to deliver vaccines to less developed countries.

The leaders of these organizations They denounce that contracts for the delivery of vaccines to poor countries are experiencing delays and that less than 5% of the doses purchased have been delivered. “We urge the manufacturers of anti-covid vaccines to redouble their efforts to increase vaccine production specifically for these countries and to ensure that the supply of doses for Covax and low and lower middle income countries takes priority over delivery. booster doses. . ” They asked.

“Our common goal is that at least 40% of people in low- and lower-middle-income countries will be vaccinated by the end of 2021. We estimate that less than 20% of the vaccines needed are currently expected to be delivered to them. countries, whether through COVAX, AVAT or bilateral and dose-sharing agreements, ”they said.

They also called on governments to reduce or eliminate obstacles to the export of vaccines and materials needed for their production.

The four international agencies have created a joint unit to identify and solve problems in the production of covid-19 vaccines for developing countries. This team held its first meeting on June 30.

So far, more than 4 billion doses of covid vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to an AFP tally.

In high-income countries according to the World Bank classification, 98.2 doses were injected per 100 inhabitants. In contrast, in the 29 lowest-income countries in the world, only 1.6 doses were given per 100 people.

Concern about the spread of the Delta variant in Asia

The host city of the Olympic Games, Phone, as good as Thailand and Malaysia, announced on Saturday a record number of COVID-19 infections, mainly caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease.

Cases have also increased by Sydney, where police cordoned off the business district to prevent a protest against a strict lockdown that will last until the end of August. Sydney Police have closed stations, banned taxis from dropping off passengers in the city center, and deployed 1,000 officers to set up checkpoints and disperse groups.

The NSW government has reported 210 new infections in and around Sydney as a result of the Delta variant outbreak.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced a record 4,058 infections in the past 24 hours. Organizers of the Olympics reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 linked to the competition, bringing the total to 241 as of July 1. A day earlier, Japan extended its state of emergency for Tokyo until the end of August and extended it to three neighboring prefectures and the western prefecture of Osaka.

Malaysia, one of the outbreaks of the disease, reported 17,786 cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, a record number.

More than 100 people gathered in the center of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the pandemic and to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Thailand also reported a daily record of 18,912 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases to 597,287. The country also reported 178 new deaths. The government said the Delta variant accounted for over 60% of cases in the country and 80% of cases in Bangkok.

The delta variant is not necessarily more lethal than the other variants, but it is much more transmissible.Supakit Sirilak, director general of Thailand’s department of medical sciences, told Reuters.

China is battling an outbreak of the Delta variant in the eastern city of Nanjing, which comes from airport workers who cleaned up a plane from Russia.

Nanjing has recorded 190 cases of local transmission of the Delta variant since July 20, while nationwide there have been a total of 262 cases, according to figures released on Saturday.

Vietnam, which is facing its worst COVID-19 outbreak, also announced tougher measures on Saturday, saying that from Monday it will impose strict travel restrictions in 19 cities and provinces in the south of the country for yet to come. two weeks.

COVID-19 infections have increased by 80% in the past four weeks in most parts of the world, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.

With information from AFP and Reuters

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