The Group of Seven, known as G-7, is an association that includes nations with some of the world's most advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and the United States. Last week, in response to President Joe Biden's announcement that the U.S. would provide 500 million COVID-19 vaccinations to poor countries around the world, G-7 officials in other nations collectively committed to supplying 500 million more. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson specifically pledged to supply 100 million shots, and Canadian officials were considering a similar commitment.
But United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres struck the appropriate tone on Friday when he welcomed the G-7 pledge — then said it was inadequate, given the vast toll the pandemic continues to take around the world, with nearly 3.8 million deaths and counting. "We need a global vaccination plan," he said. "We need to act with a logic, with a sense of urgency, and with the priorities of a war economy, and we are still far from getting that."
He's right. Worldwide, only about 460 million of the planet's 7.7 billion inhabitants have been fully vaccinated with stark differences from one country to the next. The progress in the U.S. and other affluent nations is far from the norm. In India and Africa — home to 2.6 billion people — there are tens of thousands of coronavirus infections officially reported each day and the actual number is likely higher. With so many millions of lives at risk, Guterres' call for a sense of urgency needs to generate results. The G-7's generosity should just be a start.
