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| 'Clock ticking': WHO chief urges 'enlightened world leaders' to step up and donate crucial Covid vaccine doses to poorer nations | 'Clock ticking': WHO chief urges 'enlightened world leaders' to step up and donate crucial Covid vaccine doses to poorer nations |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| The COVAX program to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are distributed fairly among poorer nations is facing a serious shortfall, the World Health Organization chief has said, after he urged countries to hand over millions more doses. | The COVAX program to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are distributed fairly among poorer nations is facing a serious shortfall, the World Health Organization chief has said, after he urged countries to hand over millions more doses. |
| "The clock is still ticking on vaccine equity," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing on Thursday, as he revealed the pressure on COVAX to meet its immunization targets. | "The clock is still ticking on vaccine equity," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing on Thursday, as he revealed the pressure on COVAX to meet its immunization targets. |
| A "serious challenge" remains for vaccine equity and availability, he said, despite some 35 billion doses having been delivered to more than 78 countries through the WHO-backed COVAX initiative. | A "serious challenge" remains for vaccine equity and availability, he said, despite some 35 billion doses having been delivered to more than 78 countries through the WHO-backed COVAX initiative. |
| The program aims to start the vaccine rollout to all health workers and vulnerable people by April 10 – the 100th day of the year. | The program aims to start the vaccine rollout to all health workers and vulnerable people by April 10 – the 100th day of the year. |
| But Ghebreyesus said that he had been forced to urge WHO partner countries last week to share 10 million more doses "immediately" in a bid to meet the COVAX target. | But Ghebreyesus said that he had been forced to urge WHO partner countries last week to share 10 million more doses "immediately" in a bid to meet the COVAX target. |
| The extra doses are an "urgent stopgap measure" to start vaccine rollouts in 20 countries, but no government has yet come forward to make up the shortfall, Ghebreyesus said. | The extra doses are an "urgent stopgap measure" to start vaccine rollouts in 20 countries, but no government has yet come forward to make up the shortfall, Ghebreyesus said. |
| "I'm still hopeful that some forward-looking and enlightened leaders will step up," he added. | "I'm still hopeful that some forward-looking and enlightened leaders will step up," he added. |
| Many of the countries that have not received any Covid-19 vaccines are poorer nations, such as Yemen, which only received its first batch of 360,000 doses on Wednesday. | Many of the countries that have not received any Covid-19 vaccines are poorer nations, such as Yemen, which only received its first batch of 360,000 doses on Wednesday. |
| Some richer countries and regions have already ordered considerably higher numbers of vaccine doses than strictly required for inoculating their populations, including the UK, US, EU, Japan, Australia and Canada. | Some richer countries and regions have already ordered considerably higher numbers of vaccine doses than strictly required for inoculating their populations, including the UK, US, EU, Japan, Australia and Canada. |
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