World woefully behind COVID-19 vaccination target

Dec 18, 2021 News

– As UN Secretary General continues criticizing lack of access by poor countries

Kaieteur News – With the availability of numerous COVID-19 vaccines the world has to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still lagging behind its COVID-19 vaccination target.
This state of affairs was on Thursday noted by the United Nations (UN) Secretary, General Antonio Guterres, during his final address for the year.

United Nations’ (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Two months ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO) unveiled a strategy to vaccinate 40 per cent of people in all countries by the end of the year, and 70 per cent by the middle of next year.
“COVID-19 is not going away. It is becoming clear that vaccines alone will not eradicate the pandemic. Vaccines are averting hospitalization and death for the majority who get them and slowing the spread. But transmissions show no sign of letting up. This is driven by vaccine inequity, hesitancy and complacency,” the UN Secretary General noted.
He shared that the strategy requires total commitment by all countries, especially those with vaccine production capabilities.
Secretary General Guterres explained that with just days away from year end, some 98 countries have not yet reached that 40 percent target. Out of that number, some 40 countries have not even vaccinated 10 percent of their populations.
He highlighted that in lower-income Member States, less that 4 percent of the population is fully inoculated, while in higher-income countries the vaccination rates are eight times higher than countries in Africa.
He added that at this rate, Africa will not meet the 70 percent threshold until August 2024.
“Vaccine inequity is giving variants a free pass to run wild — ravaging the health of people and economies in every corner of the globe. We cannot defeat the pandemic in an uncoordinated way,” the UN Secretary General insisted.
He further mentioned that all countries, especially those which the potential of responsibilities, must “take concrete action in the coming days to make greater progress to achieve WHO’s global 40 percent target.”