Vaccinating 70% of the population in every country in the world against Covid-19 by mid-2022 has been the World Health Organisation’s rallying cry to end the pandemic.
WHO head of immunisation Kate O’Brien said 70% remained more than just a “rallying cry”, even though some well-equipped countries with plenty of vaccines have also struggled to reach it. At a virtual briefing last week with WHO Africa, Aurelia Nguyen, MD of Covax within Gavi, said it was important to instead “meet the targets that countries have set for themselves, whether it's in line with the 70% WHO target or a lower or a higher target.”
A further 26, including Yemen, Uganda and Haiti, are also in need of “concerted support”, the document said.“The question in the here and now, with Omicron ripping through the population around the world and continuing to do that ... does 70% still hold?” she said.