WHO slams hogging of vaccines by wealthy nations amid Omicron menace

Amid the rising variety of Omicron variant Covid-19 instances throughout the globe, the World Health Organisation has declared the variant as a ‘concern’ and mentioned that ‘it is very unlikely that Omicron would be the last variant of concern before the pandemic is over’. “The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is killing people and should not be dismissed as mild”, the WHO famous on Thursday.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a media briefing blamed the low vaccination charges for inflated Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma and Omicron instances. “Vaccine inequity is a killer of people and jobs and it undermines a global economic recovery”, he mentioned.
“While some countries have had enough personal protective equipment, tests & vaccines to stockpile throughout this pandemic, many countries do not have enough to meet basic baseline needs or modest targets, which no rich country would have been satisfied with.”-@DrTedros— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 6, 2022
This is per week after 9.5 million, the best variety of COVID19 instances had been reported to WHO up to now within the pandemic. The WHO chief additionally affirmed that Omicron can’t be categorised as gentle, regardless that it seems much less extreme as in comparison with the Delta variant. “Just like previous variants; Omicron is hospitalising people and it is killing. In fact, the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world”, Dr Tedros mentioned.
He in the meantime used the stage to slam the way in which wealthy nations had monopolized out there vaccine doses final yr saying that it had created the right breeding floor for the emergence of Coronavirus variants. He additionally urged the world to share out vaccine doses extra pretty in 2022, to finish the demise and destruction of COVID-19.
“While some countries have had enough personal protective equipment, tests & vaccines to stockpile throughout this pandemic, many countries do not have enough to meet basic baseline needs or modest targets, which no rich country would have been satisfied with,” he mentioned. Dr Tedros additional mentioned that “Vaccine inequity is a killer of people and jobs and it undermines a global economic recovery.”
The WHO has acknowledged to proceed to put money into vaccine manufacturing hubs and work with any and all producers who’re prepared to share know-how, expertise and licenses.
“WHO will continue to invest in vaccine manufacturing hubs and work with any and all manufacturers who are willing to share know-how, technology and licenses.”-@DrTedros https://t.co/MeCNDRHGaF— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 6, 2022
Tedros mentioned that the WHO needs 70 per cent of the inhabitants jabbed in each nation by mid-2022. “Booster after booster in a small number of countries will not end a pandemic while billions remain completely unprotected”, he added. It is value noting right here that 90 per cent of the Indians have been administered with the primary dose of vaccine and 70 per cent with the second dose. A complete of 1.5 Billion vaccine doses have been administered in India.
The WHO’s COVID technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove insisted folks to proceed to step up the measures they had been already taking to guard themselves towards the virus.