Ómicron highlights the inequality in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines

The appearance of the new variant omicron And the world’s desperate and probably futile attempts to keep it at bay are reminders of what scientists have warned for months: The COVID-19 coronavirus will thrive as long as vast parts of the planet lack vaccines.

The hoarding of limited COVID-19 vaccines by rich countries – creating virtual vaccine deserts in many poorer countries – poses a risk not only to regions experiencing shortages, but to the entire world.

This is because the more the disease spreads among unvaccinated populations, the more likely it is to mutate and potentially become more dangerous, prolonging the pandemic for everyone.

“The virus is ruthless opportunistic, and the inequity that has characterized the global response has now returned home,” said Dr. Richard Hatchett, executive director of CEPI, one of the groups behind the UN-backed Covax vaccine initiative.

Perhaps nowhere is inequality more apparent than in Africa, where less than 7% of the population is vaccinated. South African scientists alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) to the new omicron variant last week, although it may never be clear where it first originated. Researchers are now rushing to determine whether it is more infectious or can evade current vaccines.

Covax was supposed to avoid such inequality, but instead, the initiative is so short of injections that it has already abandoned its initial goal of 2 billion doses.

To even reach your new goal of distributing 1.4 billion doses by the end of 2021, you must send more than 25 million doses every day. Instead, it has averaged just over 4 million a day since early October, and on some days it has fallen below 1 million, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, wealthier nations often have an excess of injections, with many now offering boosters, something the WHO has discouraged because each booster is basically a dose that doesn’t go to someone who hasn’t even had their first injection.

Despite the UN health agency’s call on countries to declare a moratorium on booster vaccines until the end of the year, more than 60 countries are administering them.