On Monday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus predicted that the "Delta" variant would become the dominant strain of COVID-19 globally. Reuters reported Tedros stating that the Delta variant "is now present in over 104 countries," adding, "We expect it to become the dominant strain worldwide soon."
Tedros also noted that the global vaccine supply gap is "largely inequitable," emphasizing that "countries should not request additional doses for their vaccinated populations while others have not yet received vaccines." Last Wednesday, Ghebreyesus expressed anger that "some advanced countries in the vaccination campaign are now planning to provide additional doses in the coming months and are abandoning public health measures, acting as if the pandemic is over."
He added, "However, given the rapid evolution of variants and the glaring disparity in vaccination, a very large number of countries worldwide are experiencing a sharp increase in cases and hospitalizations." He continued: "The acquisition of the majority of COVID vaccine doses by wealthy countries is morally unacceptable and ineffective from a public health perspective against a virus that infects the respiratory system, mutates rapidly, and is able to transmit more effectively from person to person."
