WHO "requests" postponing COVID-19 boosters to facilitate first doses in poor countries
By Ishika Dangayach on Sep 02, 2021 | 05:32 AM IST
The World Health Organization has requested world leaders to
postpone the administration of Covid-19 boosters for at least another month to
allow poorer countries to inoculate more of their populations with initial
doses.
According to the WHO, more than 5 billion Covid vaccination
shots have been provided globally, with 75 percent of them administered in only
ten nations.
“That’s why I have called for a moratorium on boosters, at
least until the end of this month, to allow those countries that are furthest
behind to catch up,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Third doses may be required for the most vulnerable groups
when there is evidence of decreasing immunity against serious disease and
death, such as the extremely tiny number of immunocompromised persons who did
not respond well to their initial doses or are no longer generating antibodies.
“But for now, we do not want to see widespread use of
boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated,” WHO Director-General
said.
According to the global health agency's head, some
high-income nations have adult immunization rates of 50%, while many low-income
countries, particularly several in Africa, have adult vaccination rates of less
than 2%.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the United States has fully immunized more than 52 percent of its population.
According to the CDC, almost 1 million Covid-19 vaccine
booster injections have already been provided in the United States since health
regulators allowed providing extra shots of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to
patients with weaker immune systems on Aug. 12.
Meanwhile, President Biden advised that an adult with two
dosed regimens should be given a third injection of an mRNA vaccine, such as
Pfizer amid the rising contagious coronavirus variant.
The FDA has already been provided with data demonstrating by
Pfizer that a third of their vaccine enhances the immune system to levels
higher than those of the normal two-dose regime against the original virus and
the Beta/Delta versions. As an addendum to full approval, Pfizer is planning to file a booster approval application.
With inputs from CNBC
Picture Credits: Reuters