The head of vaccine alliance Gavi, which is leading an UN-backed push to get Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries, said that he's seen early signs that rich countries are beginning to withhold donations out of fears about the omicron coronavirus variant warning any new hoarding could lead to Inequity 2.0, AP reports.

Gavi chief executive Dr Seth Berkley took stock of the nearly two-year fight against the pandemic as the alliance released the latest update to its supply forecast for Covid-19 vaccines that it has repeatedly downscaled, largely because of export bans and vaccine hoarding by some producer countries that critics say it should have foreseen.

With the omicron variant, what we've seen is panic in many countries that has led to acceleration of boosters both to the numbers of people getting them, but also the timeline for getting them, Berkley told The Associated Press in an interview.