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'We are one humanity': Health leaders call on wealthy nations to share vaccines

The World Health Organization says everyone will still be at risk for COVID-19 so long as there are parts of the world that are largely unvaccinated.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With health officials closely watching the omicron variant, more COVID-19 vaccines around the globe could also mean more protection for you.

For as long as the COVID-19 vaccine has been available, experts have urged wealthy countries like the U.S. to share their doses with poorer nations. And it's not just an act of charity. 

Let's connect the dots. 

The World Health Organization says everyone will still be at risk for COVID-19 so long as there are parts of the world that are largely unvaccinated. 

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The virus is still spreading rapidly in some countries, and mutating while it does. That may be how we ended up with omicron. 

Scientists in South Africa say it has at least 30 mutations, more than we've seen with other variants. Experts at Duke University say southern Africa has become a super incubator for new strains of COVID-19 because countries there are struggling to get enough vaccines.

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So far, the U.S. has contributed the most doses to the global vaccine effort, pledging to donate 1.1 billion doses. Still, experts say that may not be enough.

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