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Guarantee equitable access to COVID vaccines: WHO urges world leaders

Rohit Shishodia

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging the world leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly’s 76th session to guarantee equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and other life-saving tools.

The WHO has also urged leaders to ensure that the world is better prepared to respond to future pandemics; renew efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The global health body has said that all nations should break the cycle of ‘panic and neglect’ seen after previous health emergencies, and commit adequate financial resources, as well as political will, to strengthening health emergency preparedness across the globe.

“Seize the moment and commit to concerted action, adequate resources and solidarity, in order to build a better future for people and the planet,” the UN agency said in a statement.

According to the WHO, more than 5.7 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally, but 73% of all doses have been administered in just ten countries.

The WHO has informed that the deadly pathogen has already claimed the lives of nearly five million people worldwide while the virus continues to circulate actively in all regions of the world.

“High-income countries have administered 61 times more doses per inhabitant than low-income countries. The longer vaccine inequity persists, the more the virus will keep circulating and evolving, and the longer the social and economic disruption will continue,” the WHO said.

WHO has set the targets to vaccinate at least 40% of the population of every country by the end of this year and 70% by the middle of next year.

“These targets are achievable if countries and manufacturers make a genuine commitment to vaccine equity,” WHO said.

The agency has stressed that even as countries focus on ending this pandemic, the world must also prepare for future pandemics and other health emergencies.

“COVID-19 caught the world – including wealthy nations – unprepared for a pandemic of this speed and scale. It hit vulnerable populations particularly hard and exacerbated inequalities,” WHO said.

The agency further emphasised that Universal health coverage (UHC) is a keystone of global health security.

“Despite progress in UHC in recent years, 90% of countries have reported disruptions in essential health services due to the pandemic, with the consequences reverberating beyond the health sector,” it added.


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