WHO to help five nations yet to start jabs

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was supporting the five remaining countries yet to start their Covid-19 immunisation campaigns, as the planet clocked up administering three billion vaccine doses on Tuesday.

Vaccination has yet to get under way in Burundi, Eritrea, Haiti, North Korea and Tanzania – the only countries among WHO’s 194 member states yet to begin immunisation programmes in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

“WHO continues to support these countries in decision-making on the introduction of Covid-19 vaccines,” a spokesman told AFP.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wanted every country to start vaccinating their health workers and those most vulnerable to Covid-19 disease within the first 100 days of 2021 – a date that passed in April.

However, rich countries hogging the batches rolling off the production lines has left some countries waiting to administer their first doses.

“We are facing a two-track pandemic, fuelled by inequity,” Tedros said Tuesday.

The Covax facility, aimed at ensuring poorer countries get access to vaccines, has so far delivered 89 million doses to 133 participating territories.

But supply lines have all but dried up this month, according to WHO, which co-runs the scheme.

“The world is failing,” Tedros warned.