Omicron: WHO calls for COVID vaccine equity, warns 'hard-won gains could vanish instantly'

Chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom has warned that many might think “we are done with COVID-19, but it is not done with us". Urging the governments in countries worldwide to eradicate the vaccine inequity, he stated that “we cannot end this pandemic unless we solve the vaccine crisis.” He stressed that he understands that every country has “a responsibility to protect its own people,” but uneven distribution implies more opportunity for the coronavirus to “spread and evolve in ways we cannot predict, or prevent,” Tedros said at a presser on Monday. 

The highly mutated B.1.1.529 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 that the scientists as well as the WHO said has a ‘transmissibility advantage’ over all other previous versions of variants, could drive future surges of COVID-19. Based on the early evidence, said the WHO chief, the global risk of spread of the Omicron is "very high.” He further warned that as long as the inequity of jabs persists, the pandemic will not end. “We cannot end this pandemic unless we solve the vaccine crisis,” said the WHO’s Director-General.

WHO’s chief criticised the wealthier nations for rushing to administer the booster jabs to the healthier population, stating that while vaccines are “in every country’s best interest” the emergence of variant omicron—a highly-mutated coronavirus and other such variants will continue unless the entire world’s population is equally vaccinated. 

No country 'can vaccinate its way out of the pandemic alone'

The WHO is also pushing for an international accord to bring all the countries together to fight and foster preparedness for future pandemic outbreaks. “The emergence of the highly mutated omicron variant underlines just how perilous and precarious our situation is," Tedros said, calling for a “legally binding" agreement as he sought consensus for a way forward. “Indeed, omicron demonstrates just why the world needs a new accord on pandemics.

”Our current system disincentivizes countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores," Tedros said, pointing at rampant travel bans on South Africa and Botswana. A “pandemic treaty" or “legally binding instrument” shall be signed to notify the world via an official channel in case new pandemics emerge. Tedros also pushed for equal distribution for the vaccines as he condemned the wealthier nations hoarding the jabs while a very small percentage of the population in the poorer nations has been fully jabbed.

“Hard-won gains could vanish in an instant,” said Tedros, stressing that no country “can vaccinate its way out of the pandemic alone.”  

Earlier yesterday, outlining measures for the member countries to gear up the preparedness against the new heavily mutated Omicron variant, the World Health Organization (WHO) informed that the potential of the B.1.1.529 strain’s global level spread is ‘high’ given its large number of mutations. The Omicron variant is capable of escaping immune system responses due to its transmissibility advantage and has a likelihood of further spread at the global level, stressed WHO. “Depending on these characteristics, there could be future surges of COVID-19,” warned the health body, adding that there could be “severe consequences”, depending on a number of factors including where the COVID-19 cases surge driven by new strain Omicron occurs.