The head of the World Health Organization is warning that blanket booster programmes in rich countries risk prolonging the COVID-19 pandemic and says that no country can boost its way out of the pandemic.

For our comprehensive coverage and latest updates on COVID-19 click here.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on 22 December that while vaccines have saved many lives this year, their unequal sharing has cost many lives. Tedros has previously called for a moratorium on boosters for healthy adults until the end of this year to counter unequal global vaccine distribution.

He said that about 20% of vaccine doses being given every day are currently boosters. He added that 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. Tedros said that the vast majority of people who are hospitalised or die are unvaccinated.