Addis Ababa February 19, 2021(Walt)- French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Europe and the US to urgently send up to 5% of their coronavirus vaccine supplies to developing nations.
Macron told the Financial Times the failure to share vaccines fairly would entrench global inequality.
The vast majority of vaccinations have been administered by high-income countries so far.
Macron proposed his plan to address the imbalance ahead of a G7 virtual summit of world leaders on Friday.
The White House has said US President Joe Biden will announce a pledge of $4bn (£2.8bn) in funding for a global vaccine-sharing scheme, known as Covax.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson – who will chair the meeting – is expected to dedicate surplus doses to Covax.
“We’re not talking about billions of doses immediately, or billions and billions of euros,” Macron told the FT.
“It’s about much more rapidly allocating 4-5% of the doses we have.
“It won’t change our vaccination campaigns, but each country should set aside a small number of the doses it has to transfer tens of millions of them, but very fast, so that people on the ground see it happening.”
The president said German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported a European vaccine-sharing initiative, adding that he hoped to win the backing of the US as well
Health experts say that, unless vaccines are shared more equitably, it could be years before coronavirus is brought under control at a global level.
But at this week’s virtual meeting of the G7 – a club of seven leading economic powers – world leaders are expected to acknowledge the vaccine deficit between high- and low-income nations, according to BBC.