York bio-scientist backs calls to share coronavirus vaccines around the world
A poll's shown public support for the move, to stop new variants emerging.
A bio-scientist in York has backed calls for coronavirus vaccine supplies to be shared aorund the world, as a way to stop new variants emerging.
A new poll has shown public support for the move, with 67% of those questioned agreeing it is important.
Dr. Owen Kavanagh, senior lecturer in biosciences at York St John University, says countries with slower vaccination rates are "incubating pots" for new mutations.
It comes as the World Health Organisation has warned that many countries have no vaccines at all.
"They have to go around the world"
Dr. Owen Kavanagh said the vaccine rollout in the UK has caused covid rates to drop, but that's not the case around the world.
He added: "Particularly India at the moment, it's really blowing up over there. The virus doesn't tend to mutate that much, but if you let it grow and then immuno-compromise people, it's giving it a chance to make these small changes that can result in a new variant.
"It's not like influenza which mutates all the time and changes, but if it's in a large population like India, it can create these new variants. It's survival of the fittest: this new variant is better than the older ones so it overtakes the older version of the virus."
Dr. Kavanagh describes countries with slower vaccine roll-outs as "incubating pots, growing new variants unless we get the vaccines out there."
"We used to talk about 'everyone should get vaccinated.' Luckily, they are. Now we have this new problem. Excess vaccines, they have to go around the world."