WHO warns of two-track pandemic: ‘Haves are opening up, have-nots are locking down’

The head of the World Health Organisation has warned the world is facing a “two-track pandemic” fuelled by countries not sharing vaccines and treatments for Covid.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some countries are lifting restrictions while others are locking down, which risks prolonging the coronavirus pandemic.

While the UK removed nearly all of is Covid restrictions this week, elsewhere in the world - including Iran’s capital Tehran, Abu Dhabi and several states in Australia - have recently tightened rules.

Amid the global differences, Mr Tedros said on Wednesday: “We are not in a race against each other; we are in a race against the virus.”

During a keynote speech at the 138th International Olympic Committee Session, he said: “The global failure to share vaccines, tests, and treatments – including oxygen – is fuelling a two-track pandemic: the haves are opening up, while the have-nots are locking down.

“The longer this discrepancy persists, the longer the pandemic will drag on, and so will the social and economic turmoil it brings.”

The WHO director-general said the world’s common goal must be to get 70 per cent of every country’s population vaccinated against Covid-19 by the middle of next year.

“I am often asked when the pandemic will end. My answer is equally simple: the pandemic will end when the world chooses to end it,” Mr Tedros also said.

“We have the tools to prevent transmission, and save lives.”

The WHO has previously urged richer countries to share jabs with poorer countries to prevent new Covid variants from emerging.

The UK government said last month it will donate 100 million surplus jabs to countries around the world within the next year.

Earlier this year, the Global Health Security Consortium - which includes the Tony Blair Institute and Oxford University researchers - put forward suggestions to get the world vaccinated against Covid as quickly as possible.

The group called for wealthy countries to keep incentivising vaccine production after most of their population has received jabs and ensuring vaccines can reach those that need them,