Vaccine nationalism is morally indefensible, says WHO Director-General

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has criticised the “morally indefensible” vaccine nationalism at a time when hundreds of thousands of well being staff the world over haven’t but been vaccinated.

“We have just passed the tragic milestone of 4 million recorded COVID-19 deaths, which likely underestimates the overall toll,” Dr Tedros mentioned at a press convention on Wednesday.But with new variants of Covid-19 rising, the inequitable vaccine manufacturing and distribution are making the best way to restoration more durable, Dr Tedros asserted. Wealthier nations, the WHO chief mentioned, have larger entry to vaccines than lower-income nations.”It didn’t have to be this way and it doesn’t have to be this way going forward. Vaccine nationalism, where a handful of nations have taken the lion’s share, is morally indefensible and an ineffective public health strategy against a respiratory virus that is mutating quickly and becoming increasingly effective at moving from human-to-human,” Dr Tedros mentioned.”At this stage in the pandemic, the fact that millions of health and care workers have still not been vaccinated is abhorrent,” he added.ALSO READ: ‘Dangerous interval’ of pandemic, says WHO chief after Delta variant present in 100 countriesThe WHO chief additionally pointed to a gathering of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central financial institution governors later this week, saying, “This is an opportunity for leaders to take urgent steps to end the acute stage of pandemic and scale up equitable manufacturing and distribution of health tools.””I’ve called for these countries to end the pandemic and drive a truly global economic recovery,” he added.Stressing on a world effort to vaccinate the world inhabitants, Dr Tedros mentioned, “10 per cent of the population in all countries must be vaccinated by September. This figure should rise to 40 per cent by the end of 2021.””By mid-2022, we should be on the path to vaccinating 70 per cent of people in all countries,” the WHO Director-General added.ALSO READ: WHO chief Tedros within the eye of the storm