WHO Chief bats for temporary suspension on COVID booster shots until end of year

As several countries have started inoculating booster shots to their citizens, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged the countries to temporarily suspend their plans. Tedros Adhanom has appealed to nations to not administer booster shots to those who have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine. Addressing a media briefing, the WHO chief called for an "extension of the moratorium" on booster doses for at least until the end of the year so that every country vaccinates at least 40 per cent of its population. 

Addressing the media briefing, the WHO Chief said that the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association has informed that "G7 countries have enough vaccines for all their adults and teenagers, and to offer booster doses to at-risk groups". Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has asserted that he was "appalled" at the comment of the leading association of pharmaceutical manufacturers about allowing booster shots as some of the countries continue to face a shortage of vaccines. Tedros had previously called for a "moratorium" on booster shots through the end of September but now he has called for an extension of "moratorium".

WHO chief urges countries to halt offering booster shots  

"A month ago, I called for a global moratorium on booster doses at least until the end of September, to prioritise vaccinating the most at-risk people around the world who are yet to receive their first dose", WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press briefing.

"There has been little change in the global situation since then, so today I am calling for an extension of the moratorium until at least the end of the year, to enable every country to vaccinate at least 40% of its population", he added.

Tedros urged countries to refrain from offering third doses to healthy people who are fully vaccinated. The WHO Chief said that globally 5.5 billion coronavirus vaccines have been administered, but 80 per cent of those have been given to high and upper-middle-income countries. Tedros asserted that rich countries had committed to donating 1 billion vaccine doses to other countries, but less than 15 per cent of those doses have "materialized". Furthermore, he noted that pharmaceutical companies had pledged to "prioritize COVAX and low-income countries". He said, "We don’t want any more promises. We just want the vaccines". 

"I will not stay silent when the companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines think the world’s poor should be satisfied with leftovers", Tedros said in a press briefing.

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