Rich nations vaccinating people 30 times faster than poor countries - U.N chief

NEW YORK, US

Wealthy countries are vaccinating their populations 30 times faster than poor countries, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

The U.N. chief has been vocal against vaccine inequality, which he says is dragging the global war against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This vaccination gap is not just unfair; it threatens everyone,” said Guterres. “Only together can we vaccinate the world, end the pandemic, and kick-start a strong recovery.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 28 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Africa, which represents less than two doses administered per 100 people on the continent. Globally, 1.5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered.

In contrast, the United States has administered more than 294 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far.

In France, more than 25 million doses have been administered while Germany has administered some 21 million doses. Millions more have been administered across Europe.

African countries are however facing a challenge obtaining the life-saving jabs, partly due to the upurge in infections and deaths in other parts of the world.

Other than Guterres, other leaders, including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom, have also called out the vaccine disparity.

The leaders have thrown their weights behind a proposal by South Africa and India for a vaccine patent waiver, which they say would help boost production and make them more available.