WHO chief renews call for temporary moratorium on booster vaccines

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) chief on Wednesday renewed his call for a moratorium on booster vaccines to shift supply to countries which do not have access to jabs.

Speaking at a press webinar in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said that currently, only 10 countries had administered 75% of all vaccine supply, and low-income countries have vaccinated barely 2% of their people.

"I called for a temporary moratorium on boosters to help shift supply to those countries that have not even been able to vaccinate their health workers and at-risk communities and are now experiencing major spikes," Tedros said.

He said it is critical to get first shots and protect the most vulnerable before boosters are rolled out.

"The divide between the haves and have nots will only grow larger if manufacturers and leaders prioritize booster shots oversupply to low- and middle-income countries," said the world health chief.

He said the coronavirus is evolving, and it is not in leaders' interests to focus "on narrow nationalistic goals" in an interconnected world when the virus is rapidly mutating.

- 'Stunned' by South Africa news

"In this context, I was stunned by the news that J&J (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines fill and finished in South Africa are leaving the continent and going to Europe, where virtually all adults have been offered vaccines at this point," said the WHO chief.

Tedros urged Johnson & Johnson to urgently prioritize vaccine distribution before considering supplies to rich countries that already have sufficient access.

On Aug. 4, the WHO chief called for a freeze on booster jabs against COVID-19 until the end of September to enable at least 10% of the global population to get vaccinated, the WHO chief said Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Tedros said the virus is evolving, and leaders should not focus merely "on narrow nationalistic goals" in an interconnected world in which the virus is mutating quickly.

He said strong leadership should commit to vaccine equity, saving lives and slowing variants down.

The world must do better at sharing resources and health tools, he said.