The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) condemned what he called inequality in the global distribution of vaccines during the international group’s executive board meeting on Monday.
The Associated Press informs the Director-General of WHO Adhanom Ghebreyesus Tedros he regretted that a poorer country, identified by a WHO spokesman as Guinea, had received only 25 doses of vaccines against the coronavirus so far, while almost 50 wealthier nations had already administered about 40 million doses.
“Only 25 doses were given in a lower-income country – not 25 million, not 25,000 – only 25. I have to be frank: the world is on the verge of catastrophic moral failure,” said Tedros, who goes by the first name.
“It is true that all governments want to prioritize the vaccination of their own health professionals and the elderly first. But it is not certain that younger, healthier adults in wealthy countries will be vaccinated before health professionals and the elderly in poorer countries. There will be enough vaccine for everyone, “added Tedros.
“Vaccines are the injection in the arm that we all need, literally and figuratively,” he said, praising the realization of creating a vaccine less than a year after the start of the pandemic worldwide.
“But now we face the real danger that, even when vaccines bring hope to some, they become yet another brick in the wall of inequality between the worlds of those who have and those who don’t.”
According to Tedros, COVAX, a program supported by WHO that seeks to distribute vaccines to all countries based on need, guaranteed 2 billion vaccines from five producers. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in February.
Tedros criticized vaccine manufacturers for appearing to prioritize profits over accessibility, saying: “The situation is made worse by the fact that most manufacturers have prioritized regulatory approval in rich countries, where profits are higher, rather than sending dossiers WHO. “
Last week, the pandemic exceeded 2 million coronavirus-related deaths, as several new strains continue to emerge around the world, such as the United Kingdom, South Africa and Japan.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan warned that the COVID-19 guidelines must still be followed throughout this year, even when vaccines become more available.
“It is very important to remind people, both government and individuals, of the responsibilities and measures that we need to practice at least until the end of this year, because even if vaccines begin to protect the most vulnerable, we will not achieve any levels of immunity population, collective immunity, in 2021 “, said Swaminathan.