Ramaphosa lauds US COVID-19 vaccine initiative, cautions on widening gap between countries on resources

President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded the US for its initiative to give away another 500-million dose of vaccines as an important milestone in supporting the global community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participating in the virtual Global COVID-19 Summit on ending the pandemic, President Ramaphosa cautioned that the gulf was widening between better-resourced nations that he again accused of hoarding vaccines.

I applaud you President Biden for the generosity that has been demonstrated by the United States under your leadership by donating millions of vaccines to several countries around the world to help us cope with this pandemic.https://t.co/6SGCYWugpf

— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? #VoteANC (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 22, 2021

SA President Cyril Ramaphosa laud US COVID-19 vaccine initiative

He has warned that the gap between the rich and the poor has continued to widen.

“The gulf is widening between better-resourced nations who are buying up and even hoarding vaccines and developing countries who are struggling to have access to vaccines. The pandemic has revealed the full extent of the vaccine gap between developed and developing economies and how that gap can severely undermine global health security of around 66 billion vaccine doses administered worldwide. Only 2% of these have been administered in Africa. A continent of more than 1.2 billion people. This must be unjust. And it also is immoral.”

Of the around 6 billion vaccine doses administered worldwide, only 2 per cent of these have been administered in Africa, a continent of more than 1,2 billion people. This is unjust and immoral.https://t.co/6SGCYWugpf

— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? #VoteANC (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 22, 2021