WORLD Health Organization (WHO) Secretary General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is warning that inequity of access to COVID-19 vaccines (COVAX) could put the world "on the brink of a catastropic moral failure".
Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concerns that vaccine manufacturers and wealth nations were speaking "the language of equitable access" while prioritising "bilateral deals" and "driving up prices".
He noted that 39 million doses of COVAX have been administered across 49 wealthy nations, while "just 25 doses have been given in one [of the world's] lowest income countries".
"The situation is compounded by the fact that most manufacturers have prioritised regulatory approval in rich countries where the profits are highest, rather than submitting full dossiers to WHO," he said.
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