The rush by wealthy nations to provide a third vaccine booster has been condemned as immoral by the World Health Organization.

World Health Organization (WHO) experts insist there is not enough scientific evidence to support the additional shot, reports The Guardian.

And providing them while so many people are still waiting to be immunised is immoral, they argue.

“We’re planning to hand out extra lifejackets to people who already have lifejackets, while we’re leaving other people to drown without a single lifejacket,” said Dr Mike Ryan, director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.

“The fundamental, ethical reality is we’re leaving millions and millions of people without anything to protect them.”

The WHO called for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, to help ease the drastic inequity in dose distribution between wealthy and poor countries.

Some countries like the United States and Israel already have plans to add a third jab to try to contain the Delta variant.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, said: “What is clear is that it’s critical to get first shots into arms and protect the most vulnerable before boosters are rolled out.

“The divide between the haves and have nots will only grow larger if manufacturers and leaders prioritise booster shots over supply to low- and middle-income countries.”