PARIS, Sept 22, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - More than six billion doses of anti-Covid 
vaccines have been administered around the world, according to an AFP tally 
based on official sources on Wednesday at 0930 GMT. 

  The vaccination drive has reached a steady rhythm as it took 29 days to 
clock up the sixth billion, almost the same speed as the fourth and fifth 
billion at 30 and 26 days respectively. 

  It took around 140 days to get the first billion doses into people's arms. 

  Nearly 40 percent (2.18 billion) of the six billion shots have been 
administered in China. India (826.5 million) and the United States (386.8 
million) make up the trio of countries that have administered the most jabs. 

  Among countries with a population of over one million, the United Arab 
Emirates (UAE) leads the way with 198 doses per 100 habitants and more than 
81 percent of the population fully vaccinated. 

  Uruguay comes next with 175 doses per 100 inhabitants, followed by Israel 
(171), Cuba (163), Qatar (162) and Portugal (154). 

  Some of these countries, including Israel, the UAE and Uruguay, have 
started to give booster jabs with the aim of extending immunity among the 
fully vaccinated. 

  While most poorer countries have now started vaccination drives, mainly 
thanks to the Covax scheme, coverage remains very unequal, although 
injections have picked up in recent weeks after donations by richer 
countries. 

  High-income countries, as defined by the World Bank, administered an 
average of 124 doses per 100 inhabitants compared with just four doses per 
100 inhabitants in low-income countries. 

  Three countries are not yet vaccinating at all: Burundi, Eritrea and North 
Korea.