A. Guterres: Every person must have access to COVID-19 vaccine
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said a new vaccine against the coronavirus had to be available to everyone across the world, Report says, citing RIA Novosti.
According to him, COVID-19 is the most significant public health crisis of a generation. “Right now, there is no vaccine. As we work together to develop one, there is an important lesson we need to understand. A vaccine, by itself, is not enough. We need global solidarity to ensure that every person, everywhere, has access.”
The UN Secretary-General called on countries to make three commitments.
First – let’s find safe ways to continue delivering vaccinations, even as COVID-19 spreads. Second – let’s use the networks of vaccine-delivery to provide a range of other primary health services. And third – when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, let’s make sure it reaches everyone.
Notably, on December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities announced an outbreak of pneumonia in China’s Wuhan, and the causative agent is a new type of coronavirus officially named COVID-19.
On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus a pandemic.
The number of coronavirus cases globally has exceeded 6.5 million, while more than 386 thousand people with COVID-19 died.