Moratorium on Covid-19 booster shots: WHO
The World health Organization on wednesday called for a moratorium on coronavirus vaccine booster injections until at least September, citing a lack of availability to doses in poorer nations, even for high-risk groups including healthcare professionals and the elderly.
At a press conference, WHO director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked, "We cannot and should not tolerate nations that have already utilised most of the global supply of vaccines utilising even more while the world's most vulnerable people remain unprotected."
For the time being, Tedros believes the focus should be on fulfilling the United Nations' target of achieving 10% vaccine coverage in every country by the end of September. More than 80% of vaccine doses have been distributed internationally to high- and upper-middle-income nations, which account for less than half of the world's population.
The comments come as the US and other rich nations debate whether and when booster injections are essential, as well as how to combine home requests for more vaccines with mounting evidence of a global vaccination deficit.
Germany, the United Kingdom, and israel have all declared intentions to offer booster injections to some of the world's most vulnerable people.
The World health Organization has urged rich countries to do more to share doses and increase the global supply of coronavirus. The WHO says it does not oppose giving additional doses to certain populations who are not protected by standard doses. But the WHO's position on boosters is still taking shape, officials say.