Amnesty says rich countries hoarding vaccine

PARIS: Human rights group Amnesty International has warned that only one in 10 people in poor countries are set to receive COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, while rich nations have “hoarded” three times the amount of shots they need.

Amnesty International is part of an alliance of human rights organisations called The People’s Vaccine, which published the alarming report on Wednesday.

The group of organisations said rich nations representing just 14 percent of the world’s population have bought up 53 percent of all the most promising vaccines. The situation would leave 67 poorer states able to only cover 10 percent of their population unless governments and the pharmaceutical industry take urgent action.

The organizations examined data analyzing the deals secured between countries and the manufacturers of eight leading vaccine candidates to come to their conclusions. Amnesty notes that just five of the 67 poor countries on its list – Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Ukraine – have reported nearly 1.5 million cases of Covid-19 between them.