WHO says Covid booster programs limit vaccine supply for poor countries, could prolong pandemic

WHO officials criticized blanket Covid vaccine booster programs as poor countries struggle to obtain initial immunization shots.

The officials warned vaccine inequality could lead to the emergence of more mutant variants.

The comments from the WHO come as health officials in the U.S. promote vaccine booster shots amid a surge in Covid cases caused by the omicron strain.

World Health Organization officials on Wednesday criticized blanket Covid-19 vaccine booster programs as poor countries struggle to obtain initial doses, warning that the unequal access to immunizations could lead to more mutated variants that drag out the crisis.

"Blanket booster programs are likely to prolong the pandemic, rather than ending it, by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing.