WHO, IMF, WTO and World Bank call for vaccine for everyone

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Preparation for a corona vaccination in Haiti.

In many developing countries, the vaccination rate is low

Photo: Joseph Odelyn / AP

Four of the most important international organizations have called for more corona vaccines for poorer countries in a joint appeal.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank declared on Saturday that there is an "acute and alarming shortage" of vaccines in developing countries.

Countries with great progress in vaccination should urgently release doses to poorer countries.

"We re-emphasize the urgent need to provide Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatment options for people in developing countries," the statement said.

The manufacturers of corona vaccines would have to increase their production in order to deliver more vaccines to these countries in particular.

At the same time, existing export restrictions should be lifted.

So far, less than five percent of vaccine doses bought in advance by or for low-income countries have been delivered - so the common goal of vaccinating 40 percent of people in these countries by the end of the year cannot be achieved.

Only 1.6 percent of the people in Africa vaccinated

According to the health organization of the African Union (Africa CDC), for example, only 1.6 percent of the population on the continent are fully vaccinated against corona.

"If we schedule two vaccinations, we will need 820 million doses of vaccine to achieve the goal of a 30 percent vaccinated population on the continent by the end of the year," WHO Regional Director Matshidiso Moeti said recently.

sol / afp / dpa