The World Health Organization estimates, roughly 11 billion vaccine doses will be needed to end the pandemic worldwide.
Despite lofty pledges from rich nations to give away vaccine doses, COVID-19 vaccination in poorer countries is making little headway.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been tirelessly and relentlessly reminding rich industrialised nations of their moral obligation to provide Coronavirus vaccines to the world's poorest countries and always the answer was promises made.
Of the 640 million doses scheduled to be delivered by early August, just 163 million have arrived.
The Biden administration is spending $3.5 billion (€2.9 billion) to buy up 500 million vaccine doses from the US pharmaceutical multinational Pfizer for COVAX. The US government is to donate those advanced mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer's German partner BioNTech to the world's poorest nations. But, the Biden administration has said it would cut in half its $4 billion commitment to the COVAX initiative to help pay for the purchase of the Pfizer shots. But that's money recipient countries need to get the vaccine to people in their villages, for example, to help pay for the logistics and delivery. The fact that Pfizer's CEO is raising the price of a single dose of the COVID shot is also evidence of complete failure.
Two major churches, have been asking German Health Minister Jens Spahn's ministry for leftover vaccine doses. The aid groups have been carrying out vaccination campaigns in Africa for decades, for instance against Ebola and measles, and they have the necessary infrastructure.
But, Germany's government has rejected bilateral aid through such established channels. According to a letter from the Federal Ministry of Health, because "donations to third countries regularly require the prior consent of the manufacturer."
Opinion: Vaccine divide underscores the moral bankruptcy of the West | Opinion | DW | 06.08.2021
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