The World Health Organization head, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that the world faces a “catastrophic moral failure” because of unequal access to COVID vaccines.
He said that 49 wealthier states had conducted 39 million vaccinations between them, but one poor country had only 25 doses.
To date, the US, China, India, Russia and the UK have all developed vaccines, and mostly prioritised their own populations to receive them – although the German company BioNTech developed theirs in collaboration with Pfizer, and even so, the EU failed to secure vaccines sufficiently in advance.
Dr Tedros spoke to an executive board session of the WHO, saying: “I need to be blunt: the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure – and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries.”
He warned that a selfish approach to vaccination would lead to hoarding and rising prices.
“Ultimately, these actions will only prolong the pandemic, the restrictions needed to contain it, and human and economic suffering,” he added.
Calling on nations to accelerate their progress, he said: “My challenge to all member states is to ensure that by the time World Health Day arrives on 7 April, Covid-19 vaccines are being administered in every country, as a symbol of hope for overcoming both the pandemic and the inequalities that lie at the root of so many global health challenges.”
Thus far, 180 countries have signed on to the Covax initiative, which aims to negotiate as a bloc for lower vaccine prices. The initiative aims to distribute vaccines to low- and middle income countries, 92 of which will have their vaccines paid for by the initiative. Dr Tedros said that two billion doses had been secured, with an option of a billion more, with the first doses delivered by February.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a reaction to Dr Tedros’ warnings that, “The UK is the world’s biggest supporter, financial supporter, of the global programme to ensure access to vaccines in all countries in the world.”
The UK has contributed £548m ($734m) to the Covax initiative. Canada drew criticism after it was revealed that, due to vaccine hoarding, the 70 poorest countries would only be able to vaccinate 10% of their population, while Canada had secured enough vaccines for five times its population of nearly 38 million. However, these vaccines are “hypothetical” according to Karina Gould, Canada’s minister of international development. Canada is also contributing $380 million to Covax. Furthermore, discussions are reportedly under way for South Africa to secure some of the vaccines allocated to Canada.
Source: BBC News
