Could the world’s failure to implement a global vaccination program, keep the COVID-19 virus circling back to the beginning? Gordon Brown, previous UK prime minister seems to believe this is the case. Certainly it took a while for vaccines to reach South Africa where Omicron first appeared. However, wealthy economies can’t afford mutations circling them closer to the beginning indefinitely.
We Need Fresh Impetus for a Global Vaccination Roll Out
Of course, there’s no evidence the Omicron mutation surfaced in Africa first. Although a low vaccination rate may increase the likelihood statistically speaking. Dr. Maria van Kerkhove has technical lead in World Health Organization’s COVID-19 response.
She told BBC World December 23, 2021 ‘Getting vaccines to those who need them most must be a priority for every single government – not just some. Because if we don’t, we will continue to see the virus change and threaten us in ways that will bring us closer to the beginning rather than closer to the end.’
However, Gordon Brown goes further believing the failure to distribute vaccines to poorer countries is a ‘stain on our global soul’. Because people are realizing the coronavirus will ‘come back to haunt’ every country, without a push to get the whole world vaccinated next year.
Mutations Circling Us Closer to The Beginning Without Vaccines
Moreover, Omicron’s alarmingly high infection rate has yielded abundant evidence the virus lingers longer in unvaccinated people. The world population stands at 7.9 billion. But the raw vaccine statistics are as follows according to Our World in Data and others:
1… 57% have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
2… A total 8.81 billion doses have been administered.
3… Vaccination is ongoing at a rate of 33 million daily.
4… Only 8.1% in low income countries have at least one dose.
5… 98 countries have not vaccinated even 40% of their people.
Gordon Brown believes this situation is ‘one of the greatest policy failures of our times’. Moreover, he blames it on wealthy countries hoarding and stockpiling vaccines. We have the technology to produce 1.5 billion vaccine doses a month.
What is holding us back from global vaccination? We must do something. Because we can’t afford mutations circling us closer to the beginning forever.
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Preview Image: Doses Administered Per 100 People
