Washington DC –
The United States (US) rejects the World Health Organization (WH0) call for a moratorium third injection or Corona vaccine booster and for rich countries to focus on supplying poor countries.
As reported AFP, Thursday (5/8/2021), WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged countries and companies controlling dose supply to immediately change course and prioritize addressing drastic inequities in vaccine distribution between rich and poor countries.
“We really feel that it’s the wrong choice and we can do both,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, adding that the US had contributed more than any other country and called on other countries to act.
“Also in this country (we) have sufficient supplies to ensure that every American has access to vaccines,” he added.
“We will have sufficient supplies to ensure that if the FDA decides that boosters are recommended for a portion of the population to provide them as well. We believe we can do both and we don’t have to make that choice.”
The WHO for months has sounded the alarm over the glaring and growing imbalance in the availability of a vaccine against the disease that has killed 4.2 million people worldwide.
According to the count AFP, about 4.3 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered globally. WHO wants each country to have vaccinated at least 10 percent of its population by the end of September, at least 40 percent by the end of the year, and 70 percent by mid-2022.
In countries categorized as high-income by the World Bank, 101 doses per 100 people have been injected. That figure fell to 1.7 doses per 100 people in the 29 lowest-income countries.
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