As many countries are considering or starting booster shots, the WHO's latest intervention comes at a time when they have all been notified. Last month, Israel started giving third shots. France, Germany, and the UAE all announced plans for a booster program. Other countries, such as the UK and USA, are still considering it. The US has purchased additional doses of Pfizer vaccine to prepare, but has yet to make a decision about whether or not they will start rolling them out.It is still unclear if boosters are necessary. Kate OBrien (WHOs director for immunizations) stated that the evidence was changing and moving. "We don’t have all the evidence to support this."Pfizer published data last month that indicated that the delta variant could be protected by a third shot. Existing vaccine regimens are effective in protecting against all major variants of concern.The WHO is attempting to get a larger number of people vaccinated, before any countries consider adding more. The WHO has set a goal to get 40% of the world vaccinated before the end of this year and 70% by mid-2022.Tedros said that we need a rapid reversal from vaccines being distributed to most countries to high-income nations to those going to lower-income countries. He urged vaccine producers not to forget to donate to Covax, a scheme to distribute vaccines to countries in need. He stated last week that the scheme requires a large injection of funds in order to reach its goals.Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, called the WHO intervention a false choice. She told the AP that the USA will have enough vaccines for poorer countries and can also roll out boosters if necessary.
