WHO head calls for two-month vaccine booster moratorium

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization has called for a two-month moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines as a means of reducing global vaccine inequality and preventing the emergence of new coronavirus variants. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Hungary’s capital Monday that he was “really disappointed” with the scope of vaccine donations worldwide. He called on countries offering third vaccine doses to forward what they would use for booster shots to other countries so they can increase their vaccination coverage. Tedros said that vaccine injustice and vaccine nationalism increase the risk of more contagious variants like the delta variant emerging.