WHO seeks $16B from rich countries to narrow vaccine gap
GENEVA (AA) – The World Health Organization on Wednesday renewed its appeal to rich countries to stump up $16 billion for its program to give lower- and middle-income nations equal access to vaccines, treatments, and personal protective equipment.
Under the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, an initiative to overcome vast global inequities by providing low- and middle-income countries with access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, vaccines, and personal protective equipment, WHO is asking donor countries to contribute $16.8 billion of the $23.4 billion total budget in immediate grant funding for October 2021-September 2022 period, said the WHO.
“The rapid spread of omicron makes it even more urgent to ensure tests, treatments and vaccines are distributed equitably globally,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus in a statement.
“If higher-income countries pay their fair share of the ACT-Accelerator costs, the partnership can support low- and middle-income countries to overcome low COVID-19 vaccination levels, weak testing, and medicine shortages.”
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