WHO criticizes countries that hoard covid vaccines by offering to pay more

"Of the 42 countries that have begun to vaccinate [against the covid], 36 are rich and six are of medium-high level," criticized on Thursday the director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who He added: "This is clearly a problem, and it is getting worse because there are countries that are seeking new agreements [with manufacturers] offering to pay more."

As usual, the WHO did not directly target anyone, but the message is clear.

“This jeopardizes our commitment to ensuring equitable access.

We have to act to achieve this, ”added Adhanom.

The director of the WHO was not referring only to rich countries, such as the EU, which has committed 2 billion doses of vaccines with various manufacturers for a population of 450 million people, nor to the United States, which has done something similar.

Also to some of the 190 countries benefiting from Covax, the joint mechanism of WHO and the Global Initiative for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to ensure that countries without resources are not left out of scientific advances in the fight against the covid.

They are the poorest, for which it is expected to have 2,000 million doses throughout this year.

Far from the rush of rich countries, perhaps because they know that they do not have the strength of these despite being grouped together, the organization itself explains that “Covax's objective is to end the acute phase of the pandemic in the world by supplying 2,000 million doses by the end of 2021. Most of these will be distributed in the second half of the year, ”they say (when rich countries expect to be close to group protection levels).

But “we anticipate that we will be able to supply each country with a first batch sufficient to immunize approximately 3% of the population in the first half of 2021. This process could start in February depending on the regulatory processes and the preparation of the health systems and authorization systems in each country, ”adds a Covax spokeswoman.

In his press conference this Friday, Adhanom has insisted on the problem.

The effort being made (an agreement has been signed to expand the supply by one billion more doses) may be frustrated by this attitude of some countries, which “may lead to higher prices [of vaccines], which it will prevent the poorest countries from obtaining them ”.

"We ask countries and manufacturers to stop establishing agreements outside of Covax," he said.

The WHO director has also urged nations that have reserves far exceeding even their population to give up and donate those they will not use.

“There cannot be countries that do not have access to vaccines because others monopolize them.

The time to distribute vaccines in an equitable manner is now.

We, Covax and the countries are ready ”, he insisted.

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