Need to close vaccination gap to avoid ‘vaccine apartheid’

THERE is a need to close the vaccination gap between the advanced economies and developing countries to avoid ‘vaccination apartheid’, an official says.
European Union representative for foreign affairs and security policy and president of the European commission Josep Borrell said doing so was both morally right and in everyone’s interest.
He said by now, only about 2.1 per cent of Africans would have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

“Therefore, we need global multilateral action to increase the production of vaccines and accelerate the roll out worldwide,” he said.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, this is the path chosen by the EU.
“It is now also the path defined by the G20 leaders at the global health summit in Rome on May 21.
“The pandemic is still killing thousands of people every day and at the current pace, the whole world will not be vaccinated before 2023.
“Yet, a widely vaccinated world population is the only way to end the pandemic.”
Borrell said vaccination was also a prerequisite for lifting the restrictions that were holding back economies and freedoms.

The National/PNGhealthWatch

​Next :  Health Workers In PNG Highlands Train To Treat Covid-19