The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday March 29 of the widening gap between the number of Covid-19 vaccines available to rich countries and those distributed to poorer nations through the Covax mechanism .
This warning follows a statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who criticized yesterday Sunday the
excessive
"
storage
" of vaccines by developed countries, calling on them to share them with the rest of the world.
Read also: Covid-19: the Covax Mechanism to achieve real equity in vaccines
"
The gap between the number of vaccines given in rich countries and the number of vaccines given through Covax is widening every day,
" said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“
The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not only a moral outrage, it is also economically destructive,
” he added at a virtual world conference devoted to immunization around the world, hosted by Abu Dhabi.
"
As long as the virus continues to circulate, people will continue to die, trade and travel will continue to be disrupted, and economic recovery will be delayed,
" he continued.
More than 510 million vaccines have been distributed worldwide, according to health officials, but the gaps between countries remain large, prompting the WHO to issue an appeal on Friday to the wealthiest nations to donate vaccines to poorer countries.
The WHO said Monday, March 29 that 36 countries had still not received the slightest dose.
Sixteen of them are expected to receive their first doses through Covax over the next two weeks, he said.
For its part, Unicef urged rich countries to donate to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, adding that $ 510 million is needed to support worldwide distribution.
"
We need help,
" Henrietta Fore, director general of the UN agency for children, told the virtual conference.
“
We need vaccine manufacturers to prioritize Covax and strive for regulatory approval for rapid, fair and affordable distribution,
” she added.
"
We need the richest nations to donate additional doses through Covax,
" the system intended to supply underprivileged countries, Unicef insisted.
Covax was expected to distribute some 238 million doses worldwide by the end of May but to date only 32 million doses have been shipped, according to the initiative's website.
