World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for an immediate infusion of $1 billion to fight the spread of the deadly delta variant of Covid-19.
Speaking during a WHO briefing on Covid-19 on Tuesday, August 17, he also urged wealthy countries to suspend plans to provide booster shots.
International efforts to slow the delta variant of Covid-19 have been hampered by its virulent nature.
This has led to hotspots of hospitalizations and deaths throughout regions with low vaccination levels and limited public health measures.
Tedros insisted that there are solutions to the challenge, such as the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan of the WHO.
However, this plan, whose aim is to end the Covid-19 pandemic, and build resilience and readiness for the future, apparently needs an additional $1 billion on an urgent basis to work.
Tedros also urged wealthier countries to end the so-called “vaccine injustice,” saying that such countries need to consider those nations that are poorer off.
He explained that 75 percent of all vaccines produced so far have gone to just 10 countries, and that low-income countries have only vaccinated around 2 percent of their population.
He said: “The divide between the haves and have-nots will only grow larger if manufacturers and leaders prioritize booster shots over supply to low- and middle-income countries.”
Tedros added: “Vaccine injustice is a shame on all humanity, and if we don’t tackle it together, we will prolong the acute stage of this pandemic for years when it could be over in a matter of months.”