Paris (AFP)

More than six billion doses of Covid vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to a count made by AFP on Wednesday at 9.30 a.m. GMT from official sources.

Vaccination in the world has progressed at a steady pace for three months: the level of six billion injected doses was reached in 29 days, in the wake of the fourth and fifth billion reached respectively in 30 and 26 days.

When the first vaccination campaigns were launched, the first billion doses had only been reached for about 140 days.

With 2.18 billion injections, China concentrates nearly four out of ten doses administered worldwide.

India (826.5 million) and the United States (386.8 million) complete the podium in absolute terms.

But compared to the population, and among countries of more than a million inhabitants, it is the United Arab Emirates which are champions of vaccination: they administered 198 doses per 100 inhabitants and more than 81% of their population is fully vaccinated.

Uruguay (175 doses per 100 inhabitants), Israel (171), Cuba (163), Qatar (162) and Portugal (154) follow in the leading pack.

Most of these countries have fully immunized a large majority of their population.

Some, like the Emirates, Israel and Uruguay have even started giving a third dose per person, with the aim of prolonging the immunization of fully vaccinated people.

Anti-Covid vaccination on September 22, 2021 in New Delhi Money SHARMA AFP

France is not very far, with 139 injected doses per 100 inhabitants and 70.8% of its population having received two doses.

Most poor countries have also started to vaccinate, mainly thanks to a Covax international solidarity mechanism (WHO, Gavi alliance and Cepi coalition), but this remains very unequal.

The "high income" countries - as defined by the World Bank - administered an average of 124 doses per 100 inhabitants, the "low income" countries only 4. The latter have however stepped up their campaigns slightly in recent weeks, especially thanks to doses given by rich countries.

Three countries have still not started their campaign: Burundi and Eritrea in East Africa, and North Korea in Asia.

© 2021 AFP