CE Howard Catton called for action over World Health Organization (WHO) figures showing about 17 million health-care workers were not yet fully vaccinated.
The majority came from low to low-middle income countries.
Countries in Africa, for example, need about 66 million doses of the vaccine to double jab all their nurses and healthcare workers.
“There is a fundamental problem with a lack of supply and not enough going into some of those countries. We have had reports that nurses have queued overnight, waiting to try and get a jab, but still then waiting for their second one.”
Catton said health-care workers in these countries should gain priority access to vaccines over young people (12 to 18) in developed nations.
“I also believe there is a clear health and economic argument as well. We know how interconnected the world is, we know that the virus is mutating. The best way to close this down will be to vaccinate the world. It’s not a country race, it’s a global race.”
Unless the virus was dealt with on a global scale, it would hinder the opening of borders between nations, he said.