UN chief: ‘We cannot defeat a pandemic in an uncoordinated way’

Arguing that the world “cannot defeat a pandemic in an uncoordinated way”, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday that countries “must take concrete action in the coming days” to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s population by the end of the year.  

Speaking to journalists in New York, António Guterres also asked Member States to be “far more ambitious” in their efforts to reach 70 per cent of people in all countries by the middle of 2022, a goal established by the World Health Organization (WHO).  

Just days from the deadline, 98 countries have not been able to meet that end-of-year target, and 40 nations have not yet even been able to vaccinate 10 per cent of their population. In lower-income countries, less than 4 per cent of the population is immunized.  

“Vaccine inequity is giving variants a free pass to run wild - ravaging the health of people and economies in every corner of the globe”, Mr. Guterres said.  

According to WHO, the vaccination rates in high-income countries are 8 times higher than in the countries of Africa. At current rates, the continent will not meet the 70 per cent threshold until August 2024. 

Because of all that, the Secretary-General believes that “COVID-19 is not going away.” 

“It is becoming clear that vaccines alone will not eradicate the pandemic. Vaccines are averting hospitalization and death for the majority who get them and slowing the spread. But transmissions show no sign of letting up. This is driven by vaccine inequity, hesitancy and complacency.” 

In his last press conference of the year in New York, Mr. Guterres said the world was “coming to the end of a difficult year”. 

In 2021, he pointed out, the pandemic still raged, inequalities kept rising, the burden for developing countries grew heavier and the climate crisis remained unresolved.  

“I am deeply worried. If things do not improve – and improve fast – we face even harder times ahead”, the Un chief warned.  

The Secretary-General is sure that the world knows “how to make 2022 a happier and more hopeful new year” but said that everyone “must do all it takes to make it happen.”