How the UK compares with rest of world for Covid-19 vaccine stashes
World Health Organization says only 7.5% of people are fully inoculated across Africa

The UK government has bought 114m more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines even as the World Health Organization urged wealthy nations to delay booster programmes.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid vowed to “future proof” the NHS jabs drive after agreeing to buy what The Times said was “enough extra doses to repeat the entire vaccination programme to date”.
The deal was “accelerated” amid widespread concern about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, and “includes clauses giving access” to new vaccines modified to target new strains, the paper reported.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Latest tracking showed that more than 68% of people in the UK had received two coronavirus jabs as of the start of December, while more than 32% of people aged 12 and over had received a third jab.
But the WHO has warned that “ambitious booster plans” come “at the expense of first-time vaccinations in less wealthy nations”, said The New York Times.
‘Fraught questions of equity’
At a virtual press conference this morning, WHO representatives said that only 7.5% of people were fully vaccinated across Africa, which has seen a weekly 54% rise in reported coronavirus cases.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The UN health agency’s criticisms of booster schemes reopened “fraught questions of equity” in how the world has handled the pandemic since “a stark divide over the availability of vaccines emerged between rich and poor countries earlier this year”, said the New York Times.
However, the paper predicted that the WHO was “unlikely to sway leaders” in Europe, Asia and the US, who are scrambling to further protect their citizens amid fears of a new wave of Covid.
Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center, which has tracked confirmed vaccine purchases worldwide up to 8 November, puts the EU at the top of the ranking for procurements, with 2.9bn doses bought. The US and India follow, with 1.7bn each.
At the start of November, before the latest Pfizer and Moderna buy-up, the UK was ninth on the list, behind Brazil, Canada, Japan, the African Union and China. With the exception of Canada, all of these countries have much bigger populations that Britain.
‘Agonisingly slow’ rollout
At the other end of Duke's rankings are some countries that have purchased thousands rather than billions of vaccines.
The WHO confirmed in October that its target for all countries to vaccinate 10% of their populations by the end of the previous month had not been met. A total of “56 countries effectively excluded from the global vaccine marketplace were not able to reach this target – and most of them in Africa”, said the global health agency.
Some of these countries were battling the effects of “conflict or civil unrest, such as Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Myanmar”, said the BBC, while others “like Haiti have been hit by natural disasters, making the task of rolling out vaccines very difficult”.
But the broadcaster noted that less than 15% of more than a billion doses pledged by G7 and EU nations to the vaccine-sharing scheme Covax or directly to African countries had been delivered.
“Hoarding and production constraints are part of the story” when it comes to the “agonizingly slow” roll-out for poorer countries, said Vox. But “so are less-appreciated obstacles like clogged supply chains and breakdowns in communication between vaccine makers, donors, and recipients”.
Announcing the UK's latest vaccine procurement today, the Department of Health said the government “remains committed” to donating 100m doses to countries in need by mid-2022, with 30m to be handed over by end of this year.
-
How will Wall Street react to the Trump-Powell showdown?
Today's Big Question 'Market turmoil' seems likely
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Google ruled a monopoly over ad tech dominance
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the ruling as a 'landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolizing the digital public square'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK