WHO calls for moratorium on booster vaccine shots

The WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for a moratorium on the third doses of Covid-19 vaccination until at least the end of September, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

While addressing a media briefing on August 4, the WHO director-general said that the halt should be in place until at least the end of September. This halt is aimed to achieve the WHO’s target of vaccinating at least 10% of the population in every country by September end and ensuring the vaccination of the most vulnerable section and health care workers.

Spearheading vaccine equity, Tedros tweeted that the health workers, older people, and other at-risk groups need Covid-19 vaccines now. The WHO is calling for a moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September, to enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated.

The organisation has been supporting the more equitable distribution of vaccines, though it cannot enforce this on the countries.

“I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the delta variant, but we cannot and we should not accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it while the world’s most vulnerable people remain unprotected,” Tedros said.

Tedros has asked vaccine manufacturers to prioritise Covax, which was set up last year to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines to every corner of the planet. This will benefit many lower-income countries.

The initiative has only delivered a fraction of the 1.8 billion doses it aims to ship by early 2022.

High-income countries have received almost one dose for every person — although most vaccines require two doses for full immunisation — compared with low-income countries, which have only been able to administer 1.5 doses for every 100 people, Tedros said.