Inequity in distribution of COVID-19 vaccines should stop — WHO
By Charmaine Delos Santos
PHOTO: NTF COVID-19 |
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday stressed that fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide will help to solve the increasing cases of the said disease by the end of September.
In a WHO social media live interaction, Senior Advisor to the Director-General, Organizational Change Dr. Bruce Alyward, repeatedly explained that in order to solve the growing problem caused by the pandemic, vaccines should increase in poorer nations in order to boost their immunization against COVID-19.
“I can’t help but think: if we had tried to withhold vaccines from parts of the world, could we have made it any worse than it is today?” Aylward pointed out.
Aylward said that the public should be “disgusted” in relation to the monopolization of vaccine supplies.
The United Nations (UN) health agency has also discovered that wealthier nations hogged vaccine supplies equivalent to 104 doses of vaccines per 100 people while two doses of vaccine have been administered per 100 people in lowest-income countries.
‘Unbiased Distribution’
“We want every country to be vaccinated at least 10 percent of its population by the end of September; at least 40 percent by the end of this year, and 70 percent by the middle of 2022,” WHO said.
On the other hand, WHO is not yet sure if there will be a third dose for everybody, but the distribution of vaccines are going to be evenly distributed even if rich nations already precede.
“If you have access to a vaccine and you’re a healthcare worker and you’re not taking it, there’s something very wrong with your information or the system you’re working with,” said Mariangela Simao, the WHO assistant director-general for access medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
Simao said that no matter what the healthcare workers have in mind about being vaccinated, they still can’t force it if they do not want to be vaccinated but it will be a problem.
Report source: GMA News