In Geneva, the head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Monday set new targets for vaccinating the world’s poorest nations, while scolding rich countries for vaccinating low-risk groups ahead of health workers and high-risk groups in other countries.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “The ongoing vaccine crisis is a scandalous inequity that’s perpetuating the pandemic. More than 75% of all vaccines have been administered in just 10 countries. There is no diplomatic way to say it: A small group of countries that make and buy the majority of the world’s vaccines control the fate of the rest of the world.”
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Japan — its highest cautionary level — due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. The U.S. advisory adds to pressure both inside and outside of Japan to cancel the Summer Olympics, which are due to open on July 23.