IMF condemns vaccine nationalism and urges richer nations to share stocks

The International Monetary Fund warned of a "dangerous divergence" of the vaccine amounts in different countries on Tuesday, reported iTV.

It divided the countries into two types: those with COVID-19 vaccines and those who have to wait, with the former ones most likely to quickly place vaccine orders, secure stocks and administer shots.

"Countries can debate this as much as they want but we are seeing vaccine nationalism, explicitly and implicitly," said Gita Gopinath, the IMF's chief economist.

She said that wealthier countries should share their shots with poorer nations as the latter have been struggling both to secure vaccine supplies and borrowing money to support their economies.

The rollout of the vaccine programs in the UK and the US have been successful - almost half (46.5 percent) of the UK population and one-third (32.1 percent) of the US population has received at least one dose. By contrast, programs have barely got going in developing countries like Mali (0 percent of the population vaccinated), Pakistan (0.03 percent), Vietnam (0.05 percent), Trinidad and Tobago (0.07 percent) and Namibia (0.08 percent).

The UK has ordered more than 400 million vaccine doses, more than three times the numbers required.

Gopinath said 95 million people have "entered the ranks of the extreme poor" in the last 12 months - the majority in India and Sub-Saharan African.

She wants the vaccines to be obtained in a fairer way as soon as possible, and argues that wealthier countries can benefit from sharing them while respecting economic interests.