Hundreds of people protested outside the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday over the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine across the globe.
Health Gap and the People's Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of activist equality organizations, held a protest against 'vaccine apartheid' — their description of the global Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
The group are demanding extra vaccine production and also for the technology used to make the jab to be shared more widely to ensure more local production around the world.
More than 5 billion vaccine shots have been administered worldwide, with 81% across ten high and upper middle-income countries.
Protesters in masks depicting US President Joe Biden act as people hold a die-in and blocking 2nd Avenue during a protest near United Nations headquarters
Protesters hold placards demanding equal access to the covid-19 vaccine, in New York city
Protestors in masks depicting US President Joe Biden attend a protest near the United Nations
Many countries around the world with fewer resources have not had access to sufficient supply of the vaccines against COVID-19 and the protestors hope to make their point
People march during a protest near United Nations headquarters call on US President Joe Biden and the international community to help provide wider access to the COVID-19 vaccine
Activists demand a change to the United Nations and United States approach to ending the pandemic and 'Vaccine Apartheid' outside the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan
An activist wears a rubber mask of U.S. President Joe Biden at a protest for U.S. to end 'Vaccine Apartheid'
The U.N.-backed vaccine program is so far behind schedule that not even 10 percent of the population in poor countries is fully vaccinated.
Less than four percent of the population of African has been vaccinated. Millions of healthcare workers on the continent also remain unvaccinated.
The U.S. has pledged to donate more than 600 million doses and to increase manufacturing of the vaccine in the United States, India and South Africa.
'A year ago, the barrier to beating this cruel disease was science. Today it is inequality. We have the ability to vaccinate the world and to end this pandemic. But instead, rich countries are hoarding vaccines and protecting the profits of their pharmaceutical corporations instead of saving lives,' a statement by the People's Vaccine Alliance read.
'Rich countries have bought more vaccine doses than they could ever use – while the rest of the world has minimal access to protection. A handful of pharmaceutical corporations dictate the
