The head of the World Health Organization warned that the rush of rich countries to release booster doses of coronavirus vaccine exacerbates inequalities in access to injections, which prolongs the pandemic.
The UN Health Agency has long warned that blatant inequalities in access to Covid vaccines leave many vulnerable people in poorer countries without a single injection, while richer countries are introducing extensive reinforcement programs.
“Common reinforcement programs are likely to prolong the COVID-19 pandemic instead of ending it by targeting countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunities to spread and mutate,” the general told reporters. Director of the WHO Tedros Adanom Gebrejesus.
“No country can boost its exit from the pandemic with booster doses.”
His comments come at a time when the rapid spread of the Omicron variant around the world, after it was first discovered in South Africa last month, has shattered hopes that the worst of the pandemic is over. The new version is spreading at an unprecedented rate and has already been discovered in 106 countries, the WHO said.
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