The Director-General World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday called for the mobilization of governments, pharmaceutical companies and society to have 70% of the population in all countries vaccinated against covid-19 by mid-2022.

"I want governments, industry and civil society to work with us on a campaign that aims for 70% of vaccine coverage in all countries by early July," he said at the usual WHO press video conference on the progress of the covid-19 pandemic, after lamenting that the first target - that of 40% of the population in all countries being vaccinated by the end of 2021 - had not been met.

According to the WHO director-general quoted by Lusa, 92 countries - out of 194 - have not reached this goal.

"It is not only a moral shame, it has cost lives and given the virus the opportunity to circulate and mutate," he said, pointing out that "this is the time to overcome short-term nationalism and protect populations and economies from future variants by ending global vaccine inequality."

Ghebreyesus accused richer countries of undermining the equitable distribution of covid-19 vaccines and "creating the ideal conditions for the emergence of new variants" of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus by hoarding vaccines.

"Not only should we share vaccines more quickly and equitably, but we should support countries in producing and distributing them for all," he maintained, warning that "the emphasis" by rich countries on booster doses to halt the spread of the Omicron variant may again penalize populations in poorer countries who still lack primary vaccination, and therefore at greater risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death.

According to the WHO head, "the key" to ending the pandemic lies in ending inequality in vaccine distribution and administration.