WHO Chief calls for end of booster shot 'scandal', says only 6% Africans fully vaccinated

At a press conference on Friday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the difference between global distribution of COVID-19 boosters and first shots to people in developing countries a scandal, as per the reports of CNBC. He stated that every day, six times more boosters are given globally than initial dosages in low-income nations. He further said that this is a scandal that must be brought to an end immediately.

WHO authorities have been criticising the distribution of booster vaccines to healthy individuals for weeks, urging high-income countries to redistribute their surplus doses to vaccinate healthcare workers, the elderly, and other high-risk adults in poorer countries. According to CNBC, the WHO's Regional Office for Africa said on Oct. 28 that inequitable vaccine distribution has hit Africa particularly hard, with only 6% of the continent's population fully vaccinated against COVID.

The bulk of African countries have vaccinated fewer than 10% of their populations

WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan stated at the briefing that the WHO had set a goal of vaccinating 40% of the population of each nation by the end of the year, but more than 100 countries are now falling short of the target, according to CNBC. Our World in Data, which aggregates vaccination numbers from official public reports, suggests that only five nations in Africa have vaccinated more than 35% of their populations, including Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritius. However, the bulk of African countries have vaccinated fewer than 10% of their populations.

Tedros statement comes after several countries in Europe is seeing a surge in COVID cases. According to the WHO's latest weekly epidemiological update, approximately 2 million new COVID cases were reported in Europe last week. On Saturday, Germany recorded almost 34,309 new COVID cases. Despite a drop of more than 11% in the weekly COVID case average in the United Kingdom on Saturday, the country still has over 37,669 new cases. On Thursday, Russia recorded 38,068, which is a little low compared to the starting of the month.

Reduced public health and social interventions driving the coronavirus outbreak

Diminished masking and social distance, as well as reduced public health and social interventions, are driving the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID. One WHO official stated that they are telling all countries right now is to take a look at their position, critically examine it, and make improvements, according to CNBC.

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