Wealthy countries are finalising plans to roll out coronavirus booster programmes to counter the threat from waning vaccine immunity, decisions that will further squeeze the supplies available to the developing world.

France this week joined the US and at least two dozen other countries by confirming it would administer third vaccine doses — capping the debate over the use of boosters that has rolled on all summer.

Doing so has meant going against the World Health Organization, which has called for a moratorium on boosters and for any spare doses to be given to less-vaccinated countries. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, this week questioned whether boosters were “effective at all”, insisting they should only go to those with weakened immune systems.