WHO concerned over rich countries jumping queue for COVID-19 vaccines

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a news conference in July 2020. /Reuters

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has warned that rich countries jumping the queue for COVID-19 vaccines could leave "much of the world" behind.

At a session of the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe on Wednesday, he said "many countries have bought more vaccine than they need," and "a me-first approach leaves the world's poorest and most vulnerable at risk."

"We now face the real danger that even as vaccines bring hope to those in wealthy countries, much of the world could be left behind," Tedros added.

Some companies and countries were making bilateral deals in an attempt to jump to the front of the queue to secure vaccines, he said.

Although he did not name countries, multiple news reports have recorded that wealthier nation such as the U.S., Canada, the UK, EU members and Israel have been at the front of the queue for vaccine deliveries from companies including Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Such moves were pushing up the prices of the vaccines while also bypassing the COVAX mechanism, a WHO initiative that aims to distribute vaccines equitably around the world.

Tedros added that the emergence of new coronavirus variants has made the speedy and equitable roll-out of vaccines even more important.

The COVAX program has secured contracts for 2 billion doses in 2021, but the WHO still needs funds to complete the purchases contracted for this year, he said.

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