Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called for a moratorium on administering a third dose of Covid-19 vaccines as a booster shot till at least the end of the year. This is with an aim to enable every country to vaccinate at least 40 percent of its population.

"A month ago, I called for a global moratorium on booster doses at least until the end of September, to prioritize vaccinating the most at-risk people around the world who are yet to receive their first dose," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. He  said, "There has been little change in the global situation since then, so today I am calling for an extension of the moratorium until at least the end of the year, to enable every country to vaccinate at least 40 percent of its population."

In early August, the WHO called for such a moratorium as countries had been deliberating whether there's a need for a booster shot against the fast-spreading Delta variant.

The latest forecast from COVAX, the WHO-led international vaccine campaign, has pointed to a 25 percent reduction in the number of doses going through COVAX if without urgent action from G20 countries and vaccine manufacturers, according to Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to the WHO Director-General, at the briefing.

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