WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday warned that the world was on the edge of a disastrous moral failure due to the unequal access to Covid-19 vaccines. He said that vaccines had become a brick in the wall of inequality between the rich and poor countries.
"It's right that all governments want to prioritise vaccinating their own health workers and older people first. But it's not right that younger, healthier adults in rich countries are vaccinated before health workers and older people in poorer countries," Tedros said during a session of the global health body's executive board.
Ghebreyesus said that most vaccine companies were giving preference to regulatory approval in wealthy countries, where the profits were the highest.
The WHO director highlighted how obvious the uneven access to vaccines was. As per his reports, more than 39 million doses of vaccine have now been given in at least 49 higher-income countries while only 25 doses have been given in one lowest-income country.
"It's right that all governments want to prioritise vaccinating their own health workers and older people first. But it's not right that younger, healthier adults in rich countries are vaccinated before health workers and older people in poorer countries," Tedros said during a session of the global health body's executive board.
Ghebreyesus said that most vaccine companies were giving preference to regulatory approval in wealthy countries, where the profits were the highest.
The WHO director highlighted how obvious the uneven access to vaccines was. As per his reports, more than 39 million doses of vaccine have now been given in at least 49 higher-income countries while only 25 doses have been given in one lowest-income country.