The WHO is calling for a pause on Covid booster shots until 2022
The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on the widespread distribution of Covid-19 booster shots through the end of this year, the group’s head said Wednesday, arguing wealthy countries are not doing enough to vaccinate “at risk people around the world who are yet to receive their first dose.”... [+]
conference following an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on an Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 18, 2018 at the United Nations Office in Geneva. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last month called for a two-month halt on countries offering booster shots, but said at a press conference Wednesday morning he has seen “little change in the global situation since then.
More countries have started introducing booster programs and “the inequitable distribution of life-saving tools is driving a two-track pandemic,” Tedros said. He noted that just 15% of the 1 billion vaccine doses promised by wealthy countries to be distributed to low and-middle-income nations through the United Nations-backedFor that reason, the WHO is asking countries to wait until 2022 to start offering third doses to “healthy people who are fully vaccinated,” Tedros said, adding: “We don’t want any more promises ... We just want the vaccines.”
He pointed out that research so far only supports people who are immunocompromised getting an additional shot of the vaccine as the approved vaccines remain highly effective at protecting against severe disease and death.“Third doses may be necessary for the most at-risk populations where there is evidence of waning immunity,” Tedros said. “But for now, we do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people.” 80%.
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