GENEVA – The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is supporting the five remaining countries yet to start their Covid-19 immunisation campaigns as the planet clocked up three billion vaccine doses administered yesterday.
Vaccination has yet to get under way in Burundi, Eritrea, Haiti, North Korea and Tanzania – the only countries among WHO’s 194 member states yet to begin immunisation programmes in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“WHO continues to support these countries in decision-making on the introduction of Covid-19 vaccines,” a spokesman told AFP.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wanted every country to start vaccinating their health workers and those most vulnerable to Covid-19 within the first 100 days of 2021 – a date that passed in April.
However, rich countries hogging the batches rolling off production lines has left some countries waiting to administer their first doses.
“We are facing a two-track pandemic fuelled by inequity,” Tedros said yesterday.
The Covax facility, aimed at ensuring poorer countries get access to vaccines, has so far delivered 89 million doses to 133 participating territories.
But supply lines have all but dried up this month, according to WHO, which co-runs the scheme.
“The world is failing,” Tedros warned. – AFP, June 30, 2021
