“There is still no evidence on the danger of the Omicron variant, nor on the effectiveness of vaccines in countering it. But the alarm is caused by the short-sighted policy with which the issue of global access to vaccines has been tackled ”. This is the appeal launched by Sara Albiani, Oxfam’s global health policy advisor, who together with Emergency re-launches the appeal for equal access to vaccines in all areas of the world.
According to available data, at least 42% of the world population has completed the vaccination course with two doses. But immunity coverage shows marked differences between richer countries and low- and middle-income countries. Bloomberg reports that the planet’s fifty-two least developed states received 5.1% of the combined doses, despite alone accounting for more than 20% of the global population. Only 3.5% of the African population received the dual administration. This value rises to around 70% in Europe.
Nigeria is home to three percent of the world‘s inhabitants. But the vaccines distributed are less than 0.1% of the total. Six percent of all doses produced were administered in the United States, where just over 4 percent of the global population resides.
Inequity which, according to Oxfam, puts everyone’s safety at risk: «As long as only a part of the world population is vaccinated, the virus will have the opportunity to circulate, to replicate quickly and therefore to mutate. Millions of people who have already been vaccinated in the US, UK or Italy feel safe. But without a radical change in current policies all efforts made so far could be in vain. The risk is high. Making vaccines accessible even in poor countries means today more than ever to protect us all ».
A position also remarked by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, who asked all governments to “be more generous in donating vaccines to the poorest countries”. According to COVAX data, the alliance to mitigate the differences in access between the most developed and developing nations, the US is in first place for the quantity of donations, with over 120 million doses already delivered and another 73 not yet. shipped. They are only a part of the 800 million announced to smooth out the vaccination disparity.
The EU is in second place, with around 47 million vaccines given and another 200 awaiting shipment.