A global plan of action for the benefit of all is needed for vaccinations

WITH a wave of new Covid infections arising from the Omicron variant expected in the next weeks, it is more important than ever for people to get vaccinated.

The booster jab is now available widely and I would advise readers to seek out an appointment as soon as possible.

Increasing vaccination levels is imperative but unless people all over the world are jabbed in sufficient numbers, we are going to have to live with new variants and further waves.

Waves mean more people get infected, more get ill, our hospitals risk being overwhelmed and the most vulnerable people will suffer – the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

In the meantime, it is reprehensible that high-income countries are hoarding Covid vaccines while just 8% of the population in low-income countries have received even a single dose.

On December 2 the Westminster Government announced it had purchased an additional 200 million vaccines for use in the UK over the coming years, which it says is “needed to combat Omicron and future variants of concern”.

But by far the best way of preparing for these variants of concern is by vaccinating as much of the global population as possible.

Many are now critical of the waste that transpires from storing vaccines that later become unsuitable for use.

In September, Welsh Government confirmed that 40,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been destroyed, while figures emerging recently show that the UK-wide count was 600,000.

The Omicron variant is a terrible reminder that when coronavirus is free to circulate globally, it will change and mutate.

At the same time, the UK has confirmed it is hoarding 200 million vaccines for a population of 67 million – 89% of which have already received at least one jab.

In preparing for future variants of concern, Westminster has failed to realise that the best use of vaccines is in the arms of those who need it the most.

The inescapable truth is that our freedom will only come when we can lock this virus down through a global programme of vaccination, and not by locking doses away in a cupboard.

It is time for the governments of the world’s richest countries to come together to discuss how best to plan to vaccinate people all over the world.

An international perspective is urgently needed and a global plan of action needs to be implemented.

This will be for the benefit of all – including the citizens of Arfon and Wales.