World News | WHO Chief Descries 'shocking' Vaccine Imbalance
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The head of the World Health Organisation said that over 87 per cent of the more than 700 million doses of coronavirus vaccine that have been administered worldwide have been given in wealthier countries.
Geneva, Apr 9 (AP) The head of the World Health Organisation said that over 87 per cent of the more than 700 million doses of coronavirus vaccine that have been administered worldwide have been given in wealthier countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that on average, one in four people in rich countries have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to only one in 500 people in low-income countries.
“There remains a shocking imbalance in the global distribution of vaccines,” Tedros said during a media briefing Friday.
He called COVAX, the UN-backed initiative to distribute vaccines fairly, “a strong mechanism that can deliver vaccines faster and more efficiently than any other mechanism.” He noted that COVAX so far has delivered about 38 million doses worldwide, or enough to cover about 0.25 per cent of the global population.
Tedros criticised countries that plan to donate vaccines directly to other nations instead of going through COVAX.
“These bilateral arrangements run the risk of fanning the flames of vaccine inequity,” he said, without explaining why donations that bypass COVAX were problematic. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)