WHO director-general says 'narrow nationalism and vaccine hoarding' by rich countries caused Omicron variant
- The director-general of the World Health Organization released an op-ed in USA Today.
- He argued that Omicron is a result of vaccine hoarding.
The director-general of the World Health Organization blamed inequity for the continuing pandemic in a Wednesday op-ed for USA Today.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus argued that "narrow nationalism and vaccine hoarding by some countries have undermined equity, and created the ideal conditions for the emergence of the Omicron variant."
The expert argued that even though there are "new tools to prevent and treat COVID-19," injustices around vaccine availability will extend the pandemic.
"If we end inequity, we end the pandemic," he said. "And the longer inequity continues, the higher the risks of this virus evolving in ways we can't prevent or predict."
In his article, he also brought up preventative measures and solutions like WHO BioHub System — which allows countries to share information and biological materials — and WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence — which uses data to identify health emergencies and appropriate responses.
The WHO director-general said there are three steps the world must take next year concerning global health:
- End the pandemic by vaccinating 70% of people across the globe by the middle of 2022
- Establish a better-built system for global health security by hammering out a global pandemic accord
- Move towards universal health coverage, by putting primary health care in place in all countries
"COVID-19 has demonstrated that when health is at risk, everything is at risk," Ghebreyesus added.