Global Trade Rebounds Better Than Expected(3)

More than 6 billion doses of vaccines have been produced and used throughout the world. Unfortunately, this is still not enough, and there are huge differences in access to vaccine services between countries. So far, only 2.2% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the new crown vaccine. This difference may create space for the emergence and spread of mutant strains of the new coronavirus, or lead to the re-implementation of sanitary control measures that reduce economic activity.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonyo-Ivira said:“Trade has always been a key tool in the fight against the epidemic. The current strong growth highlights the importance of trade in supporting the global economic recovery. However, the problem of unfair access to vaccines is ongoing. Intensifying the economic division of various regions, the longer this inequality lasts, the greater the possibility of more dangerous variants of the new coronavirus, which may set back the health and economic progress we have made so far. WTO members We must unite and agree on a strong WTO response to the epidemic. This will lay the foundation for faster vaccine production and fair distribution, and it will be necessary to sustain the global economic recovery."