WHO Chief Talks 'Vaccine Apartheid', Asks Serum Institute To Catch Up Its Covax Delivery

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the world is facing a situation of "vaccine apartheid."

"The big problem is a lack of sharing. So the solution is more sharing," he said during a virtual Paris Peace Forum event, reported Reuters. Ghebreyesus shared that there "appears to be a mindset that the pandemic is over" in countries with high vaccination rates, but warned that "no one is safe until we are all safe."

According to him, the COVAX initiative is failing to reach its supply goal mostly because of the rise in Covid cases in areas that had committed to supply the coalition, reported Fox News. "COVAX works and has so far delivered 65 million doses to 124 countries and economies, but it is dependent on countries and manufacturers honoring their commitment," he said.

"While we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca, who have been steadily increasing the speed and volume of their deliveries, we need other manufacturers to follow suit," he added.

He mentioned that even though Pfizer and Moderna have pledged millions of doses to COVAX, most of it will not arrive until the second half of 2021 or 2022.

"Once the devastating outbreak in India recedes, we also need the Serum Institute of India to get back on track and catch up on its delivery commitments to COVAX," Ghebreyesus said.

"Furthermore, we need high-income countries that have contracted much of the immediate global supply of vaccines to share them now. I call on manufacturers to publicly commit to helping any country that wants to share their vaccines with COVAX to lift their contractual barriers within days, not months."

According to Ghebreyesus, the situation in a number of countries continues to be "very concerning." "The pandemic is a long way far from over, and it will not be over anywhere until it is over everywhere."

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has announced that the US will be sending doses of its authorized vaccine supply to other nations. "America will never be fully safe while this pandemic is raging globally. That’s why I’m announcing that over the next six weeks we will send 80 million vaccine doses overseas. It is the right thing to do. It is the smart thing to do. It is the strong thing to do," read a tweet on behalf of the president.

Earlier, the US sent four million doses to Mexico and Canada.