ANKARA

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said injustices in coronavirus vaccine distribution and access around the world “is a scandal that must stop now."

"Every day, there are six times more boosters administered globally than primary doses in low-income countries," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference on Friday.

The global disparity is most evident in Africa where only 6% of its population is fully vaccinated, according to the latest WHO data.

The WHO is also struggling with a new COVID-19 crisis in Europe, which saw almost 2 million new cases in the last week -- the most in a single week on the continent since the start of the pandemic.

The UN health agency wants to vaccinate 40% of the population in every country by the end of 2021 but said it needs an additional 550 million doses to meet that target.