Milestone still short of the mark
The World Health Organisation said yesterday that a United Nationsbacked programme shipping coronavirus vaccines to many poor countries has now delivered one billion doses, but that milestone “is only a reminder of the work that remains” after hoarding and stockpiling in rich countries.
A shipment of 1.1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Rwanda on Sunday included the billionth dose supplied via the Covax programme, the UN health agency said.
WHO has long criticised unequal distribution of vaccines and called for manufacturers and other countries to prioritise Covax. It said that, as of Friday, 36 of its 194 member countries had vaccinated less than 10 per cent of their population and 88 had vaccinated less than 40 per cent.
The programme has made deliveries to 144 countries so far, “but the work that has gone into this milestone is only a reminder of the work that remains,” WHO said.
“Covax’s ambition was compromised by hoarding/stockpiling in rich countries, catastrophic outbreaks leading to borders and supply being locked. And a lack of sharing of licenses, technology and know-how by pharmaceutical companies meant manufacturing capacity went unused.” WHO Director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pushed for the vaccination of 70 per cent of countries’ populations by the beginning of July.
Germany’s new International Development Minister said she wants to use her country’s presidency this year of the Group of Seven industrial nations to ensure that Covax gets the resources it needs in 2022. “Unfortunately, there are still too few countries participating in the financing of the global vaccination campaign,” Svenja Schulze said. “Alongside Sweden, Norway, Canada and the US, we are the ones who are giving most. The other industrial countries have significant ground to catch up.”
Germany has said it donated 103 million doses to poorer countries last year and plans to donate another 75 million in 2022.