The head of the vaccine alliance Gavi, which is leading a United Nations-backed push to get COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries, said that he has seen early signs that wealthy nations are withholding donations due to concerns about the omicron coronavirus variant, warning that any new hoarding could lead to ‘Inequity 2.0.’
Dr. Seth Berkley, Gavi’s chief executive, reflected on the nearly two-year fight against the pandemic as the alliance released the most recent update of its supply forecast for Covid vaccines, which has been repeatedly downscaled, largely due to export bans and vaccine hoarding by some producer countries.
‘What we’ve seen with the omicron variation is panic in many nations, which has led to an acceleration of boosters, both in terms of the amount of people who are getting them and the timing for obtaining them,’ Berkley said in an interview late Tuesday at his home outside Geneva.
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