Global experts recognize China's efforts to fill vaccine gap

(ECNS)-- Experts called for enhanced international cooperation to narrow the COVID-19 vaccine gap between rich and developing countries at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, which ended on Friday in south China’s Hainan Province.

Data shows that there is a huge gap in the vaccination rate between rich and developing countries. A total 85 percent of the population have been given booster shots in some developed countries, while nearly 20 countries’ vaccination rate is less than 10 percent.

Many experts at the forum recognized China's major contribution to filling the immunization gap.

Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, former director-general of the World Health Organization, said via video link that developed countries should make vaccines accessible to developing countries. In her view, closing the immune gap so that elderly populations of more countries and regions could get vaccinated at an affordable cost requires greater attention.

To promote equality in vaccination is a pressing issue and requires global cooperation to defeat the pandemic. China has made great contributions to promoting safe and accessible vaccines for vulnerable groups, said Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, at the forum via video link.

No one is truly safe until everyone is safe. An effective cooperation mechanism on a global scale is needed to promote vaccination and protect future generations from the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.