While some countries are having difficulty getting the COVID-19 vaccines first to their most vulnerable citizens, others are moving forward with plans to provide supplementary shots.The World Health Organization demanded a moratorium on COVID-19 booster vaccines until September, or later. This was due to global inequalities in vaccine rollout.This statement was made hours after a San Francisco hospital started offering "supplemental doses of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines" to Johnson & Johnson recipients. It follows the lead of countries such as Israel, which offers boosters for elderly people and European countries that plan to offer boosters next month.. @WHO director General @DrTedros calls for a moratorium in booster shoots in rich countries until Sept. 31st, to provide more vaccine to low-income countries. Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell), August 4, 2021According to Our World in Data, 29 percent of the global population have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination. However, that figure is closer to 1% in low-income countries."I can understand all governments' concern to protect their citizens from the Delta variant. We cannot accept that countries who have used the majority of the global vaccine supply and are using more of it, Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, director general, said Wednesday.Boosters are being developed in France, Germany, Israel and France.Israel is offering booster shots for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to anyone over 60. According to Reuters, President Isaac Herzog started the campaign on Friday by receiving his third dose of the vaccine.France and Germany are on track to start giving third doses to people who have been vaccinated in the early stages of the rollout. Both countries will allow seniors and those with compromised immune systems to book booster appointments for September.According to the Washington Post, the UK is ready to begin in September, subject to approval by national health experts.The US CDC has not yet issued guidance regarding third shots. However, the White House stated that it is ready to provide boosters if necessary, according to Reuters.Jen Psaki, the press secretary for Washington, stated Wednesday that Washington can provide booster shots if approved and also donate excess supplies to other nations.According to the WHO analysis, however, if all 11 countries who are considering boosting their supply of boosters this year gave the shots to every person over 50, that would mean they would consume approximately 440 million doses.Tedros stated that "we need an urgent reversal" from vaccines being mainly sent to high-income nations to those going to low-income.Business Insider originally published this article.Business Insider has more:
