WTO chief asks UK and other rich countries to send vaccines to poorer countries | General news

The UK and other wealthy countries should be sending Covid vaccines to poorer countries now rather than waiting for a surplus, the World Trade Organization chief said.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said it was “in the interest” of richer countries to ensure that the vaccine rollout around the world was equal.

It comes after Boris Johnson told world leaders that it was “ pointless ” to vaccinate national populations if efforts were not made to ensure that the “ whole world ” received hits.

G7 leaders yesterday pledged to immunize the world’s most needy people by donating cash and precious doses of vaccine to a UN-backed vaccine distribution effort.

Ms Okonjo-Iweala told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that the UK’s plan to donate its surplus vaccines to developing countries was welcome but needed to be accelerated.

She said: ‘I don’t think we should wait until we have a surplus when other people have been served.

“I think all the donations that come must come now.

‘The reason is very simple. It is in the interests of both rich and poor countries to have equitable access ”.

She cited a study by the International Chamber of Commerce that presents the case for global vaccinations.

The study claimed the world could lose £ 6.4 trillion ($ 9 trillion) if richer countries vaccinated half of their populations and poor countries had not vaccinated theirs by now the middle of the year.

Ahead of yesterday’s virtual G7 meeting, Boris Johnson has pledged to donate the majority of UK surplus vaccines to the poorest countries.

Addressing leaders, including US President Joe Biden at his first major multilateral meeting from Downing Street, Mr Johnson urged other developed countries to join efforts to increase the global supply of vaccines.

He said: ‘Science is finally taking over Covid, which is a great thing, which is long overdue.

“ But there’s no point in vaccinating our individual populations – we have to make sure the whole world is vaccinated because this is a global pandemic and there’s no point in a country being way ahead of a other, we must move forward together.