Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday called for a “postponement” on booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine until at least the end of September, expressing concern over the disparity in vaccination levels in low- and high-income countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said while high-income countries have now administered about 100 doses for every 100 people, low-income countries have been able to deliver only 1.5 doses per 100 people due to lack of supplies.
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“We need to urgently reverse most vaccines going to high-income countries to low-income countries,” Ghebreyesus was quoted as saying by PTI.
Ghebreyesus said the WHO, accordingly, is calling for a moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September so that at least 10 percent of each country’s population can be vaccinated.
The WHO urged everyone, including Olympic athletes, investors, business leaders, faith leaders, and everyone in their own family and community, to support their call for a moratorium on booster shots until at least the end of September.
Stating that ensuring increased vaccination coverage in low-income countries requires everyone’s cooperation, especially the handful of countries and companies that control the global supply of vaccines, the WHO chief said, while millions of people Still waiting for their first dose, some wealthy countries are moving on to a booster dose.
Ghebreyesus emphasized that he understands the concern of all governments to protect their people from the delta variant.
“We cannot accept that countries that have already overexploited the global supply of vaccines, the world’s most vulnerable people remain vulnerable,” he told a news conference in Geneva.
Ghebreyesus called on vaccine producers to prioritize the vaccine delivery alliance COVAX.
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Underlining that vaccines are not the only tool to defeat the pandemic, the WHO chief said: In fact, there is no single tool that can defeat this pandemic. We can only beat this with a comprehensive approach to vaccines in combination with proven public health and social measures that we know work. “
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