COVID-19 Booster Shots Programme A 'Scandal': Why WHO Chief Is Against Booster Doses For Coronavirus?

Tedros said that it is a bad decision to provide extra vaccine doses to fully vaccinated individuals and not provide a single dose to another person who is at higher risk of catching the virus.

After a steady drop in daily COVID-19 cases globally, Europe is experiencing a spike again. According to the data provided by the officials, several countries are yet to vaccinate their citizens, which can be a big reason behind a massive transmission of the virus in the next one year. Taking up the issue of not being able to provide vaccines against COVID to all the people, the World Health Organisation (WHO) slammed the booster shots programme which is being conducted in several countries as a 'scandal'. Addressing the press, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it is vital to ensure the jabs were going to those who needed them most, on the continent and beyond. Now, the question is why WHO is against the COVID booster shots? Let's dive deep into what the WHO chief meant when he called the booster shots programme a 'scandal'.

Why WHO Chief Is Against Booster Doses For Coronavirus?

In its latest report, the UN health agency has stated that Europe is once again at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Europe registered nearly two million active coronavirus cases last week, which is a massive spike at a time when the cases were witnessing a downfall a few weeks back. Talking about the sudden spike in the cases in Europe, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that this was "the most in a single week in the region since the pandemic started back in 2019.

Why there is a spike in cases? According to the WHO, it is because of the uneven distribution of vaccines worldwide. WHO said it was vital to ensure the jabs were going to those who needed them most, on the continent and beyond to content the virus transmission. "It is not about how many people are getting vaccinated, it is about who is getting vaccinated against COVID," Tedros said while addressing the press.

Every day, there are 6 times more boosters administered globally than primary #COVID19 vaccine doses in low-income countries. This is a scandal that must stop now. https://t.co/6in6FNlmBD#VaccinEquitypic.twitter.com/YDt8mVocZC Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 13, 2021

Why WHO is against the COVID booster shots? According to the WHO chief, it makes no sense to give boosters to healthy adults or to vaccinate children, when health workers, older people, and other high-risk groups around the world are still waiting for their first dose.

Tedros said that it is a bad decision to provide extra vaccine doses to fully vaccinated individuals and not provide a single dose to another person who is at higher risk of catching the virus.

WHO has also called for a moratorium on boosters until the end of the year to free up jabs for poorer nations. Highlighting the uneven distribution of the vaccine doses, WHO said, "Every day, there are six times more boosters administered globally than primary doses in low-income countries," Tedros said, insisting that "this is a scandal that must stop now."

Your Best Bet Is To Get Vaccinated

Talking about the need to get vaccinated to contain the COVID-19 virus transmission, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said that vaccines are important and nations that have been able to fully vaccinate most of their citizens won't face massive hospitalisation rates if there is the next wave. "If you're in Europe right now, where we've got that intense transmission, and you're in a high risk of the vulnerable group or an older person and you're not vaccinated, your best bet is to get vaccinated," Reuters quoted him as saying.