The World Health Organization appears to be falling short of its goal to vaccinate 70% of people across the globe, as rates in most low-income countries are stalling.
The WHO said in June 2021 that a crucial component of ending the pandemic was to reach 40% vaccination rates by the end of 2021 and 70% by June 2022, which is coming up in a little over a month.
“The reality is that there is a loss of momentum,” said Dr. Isaac Adewole, a former health minister of Nigeria who is now a consultant for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the New York Times.
Some health experts suggest they missed their window of opportunity.
“There was a time people were very desperate to get vaccinated, but the vaccines were not there,” Adewole said. “And then they realized that without the vaccination, they didn’t die.”
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Around two-thirds of the world’s richest countries have reached that 70% target. The United States is at 66%.
Many of the world’s 82 poorest countries are under a 20% vaccination rate, with only a few, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, and Nepal, having reached the 70% mark.
“This pandemic is not over yet — far from it — and it’s imperative that countries use the doses available to them to protect as much of their population as possible,” said Dr. Seth Berkley, chief executive of Gavi, a nonprofit group running the global vaccine clearinghouse Covax.
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Fewer than 17% of Africans have received their initial COVID-19 vaccination. Nearly half of vaccine doses that were delivered to the continent of Africa have gone unused, according to the report.
