Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : September 18, 2021 9:31 AM IST
WHO aims to vaccinate at least 40% of the population of every country by the end of this year.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) urged the world leaders attending the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to focus on providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and other life-saving tools. The UN health agency also called on the countries to ensure that they are better prepared to respond to future pandemics.
"Vaccines are the most critical tool to end the pandemic and save lives and livelihoods," WHO noted in a press release.
Highlighting the existing vaccine inequality, it said that over 5.7 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally so far, but 73% of all doses were administered in just 10 countries. Compared to low-income countries, high-income countries have administered 61 times more doses per inhabitant, the WHO added.
The organisation warned that the longer COVID-19 vaccine inequity persists, the more the virus will keep circulating and evolving, and the longer the social and economic disruption will continue.
By the end of this year, WHO aims to vaccinate at least 40% of the population of every country, and 70% by the middle of next year. "These targets are achievable if countries and manufacturers make a genuine commitment to vaccine equity," it stated.
WHO also urged countries to fulfil their dose-sharing pledges immediately and to swap their near-term vaccine deliveries with COVAX and AVAT (African COVID-19 Vaccine Acquisition Task Team). In addition, it wants vaccine manufacturers to prioritize supplies to COVAX and partners. It also called on countries and manufacturers to facilitate the sharing of technology, know-how and intellectual property to support regional vaccine manufacturing.
COVAX is a global initiative working towards ensuring availability of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries. So far, more than 260 million vaccine doses have been shipped to 141 countries under it.
While countries focus on ending the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, WHO noted that the world should also prepare for future pandemics and other health emergencies.
Because the world was unprepared for a pandemic of this speed and scale, COVID-19 caught us and hit vulnerable populations particularly hard and exacerbated inequalities, it said.
WHO asked all countries to commit adequate financial resources and political will to strengthening health emergency preparedness across the globe, as well as renew efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Disclaimer: The content on TheHealthSite.com is only for informational purposes. It is not at all professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a healthcare specialist for any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.
