WHO says reserve Covid-19 vaccine boosters for immunocompromised

A patient receives a Covid-19 booster shot at a clinic in the US in September 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS

GENEVA (REUTERS) - The World Health Organisation called on Thursday (Nov 4) for vaccine-makers to prioritise deliveries of Covid-19 jabs to the Covax dose-sharing facility for poorer countries and said that no more doses should go to countries with over 40 per cent coverage.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said boosters should not be administered except to people who are immunocompromised.

"We continue to call on manufacturers of vaccines that already have WHO Emergency Use Listing to prioritise Covax, not shareholder profit," he said.

The WHO listing of Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech's Covaxin on Wednesday contributes to vaccine equity, he added.

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