World Bank: ‘Probably elusive’ target to vaccinate 70% of world population by mid-2022

The goal of vaccinating 70% of the world’s population for Covid-19 by the middle of next year may not be achieved, according to a senior World Bank official.

“At this stage, it is not clear that the goal will be achieved,” Mamta Murthi, the World Bank’s vice president for human development, told a news conference.

“Certainly, the purchase and development of vaccines can accelerate by the middle of next year,” he added.

To date, less than half of the world’s population (44.95%) has been vaccinated, based on data from international organizations. But the inequalities are huge, with the proportion of those vaccinated in rich countries reaching 67.45% and those in the poor, especially in Africa, 4.36%.

The 70% threshold is considered crucial to control the pandemic. The World Health Organization recently stated that this goal will not be achieved in Africa until 2024, if this rate of vaccination continues.

The World Bank is providing $ 20 billion to help developing countries fund the vaccine market and strengthen its health systems. At the beginning of the pandemic, he had given another package, amounting to 10 billion dollars, the vice president reminded. Nearly 100 million doses of vaccine have been provided “thanks to World Bank funding” and contracts have been signed for another 300 million doses, Murti said.

“The reservations about vaccines are real. We must not underestimate them,” she said. “But this is something that can be solved and many countries are doing it. We should not use it as a reason not to speed up the delivery of vaccines (..) and equal access to vaccines,” he said.