Poor countries need billions in aid to avert Covid catastrophe, experts warn

Virus will overwhelm health services across South America, Asia and Africa unless world leaders take urgent action

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World leaders have been warned that unless they act with extreme urgency, the Covid-19 pandemic will overwhelm health services in many nations in South America, Asia, and Africa over the next few weeks.

Only billions of pounds of aid and massive exports of vaccines can halt a humanitarian catastrophe that is now unfolding rapidly across the planet, scientists and world health experts said.