The COVID-19 crisis
"has revealed how unequal our societies are," said UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message for World Health Day.
Highlighting the
inequalities and injustices that have been apparent throughout the pandemic,
the UN chief said in his message for the day to be marked on Wednesday that the
vast majority of vaccine doses administered so far have been confined to
"a few wealthy countries" or those producing the shots cleared for
distribution, the Xinhua news agency reported.
"Within countries,
illness and death from COVID-19 has been higher among people and communities
that contend with poverty, unfavourable living and working conditions,
discrimination and social exclusion," said Guterres.
Thanks to the COVAX
initiative, the UN backed international effort to provide equitable vaccines
across the world, more countries are receiving doses, "but most people in
low and middle income countries still must watch and wait," the top UN
official added.
"Such inequities
are immoral, and they are dangerous for our health, our economies and our
societies."
To date, COVAX has
shipped more than 36 million doses to 86 countries, the UN chief's spokesperson
Stephane Dujarric told correspondents at the UN headquarters on Monday.
Algeria received more
than 36,000 doses over the weekend from COVAX, he said, helping to accelerate
the vaccination campaign already underway there.
"The UN Resident
Coordinator, Eric Overvest, said the new doses will help ensure that no one is
left behind," Dujarric added. "Our teams on the ground have helped to
train healthcare workers, sensitize people on vaccines, and supported the cold
chain."
As of April 5, the
World Health Organization is reporting that there have been nearly 131,021,000
confirmed cases of Covid-19, including more than 2,850,520 deaths.
Up to the end of March
31, there had been 547,727,346 vaccine doses administered worldwide.
"As we recover
from the Covid-19 pandemic, we must implement policies and allocate resources
so all can enjoy the same health outcomes," said Guterres.
That will involve
reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, he added, "and it
means delivering universal health coverage so everyone, everywhere, can
thrive."
