Under WHO’s coordination, experts with diverse backgrounds are working towards the development of vaccines against COVID-19.
United Nations| The only thing that can maybe bring back “normalcy” is COVID-19 vaccine, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday, hoping for just that before the end of the year.
During a video conference with the 50 or so African countries that are members of the United Nations Guterres added, “A safe and effective vaccine may be the only tool that can return the world to a sense of ‘normalcy,’ saving millions of lives and countless trillions of dollars.”
UN Secretary-General called for accelerated development of the COVID-19 vaccine and accessibility to all, adding it must have a “universal global benefit” and “allow us to control the pandemic.”
“We need an ambitious effort to ensure that international stakeholders operate through a harmonized, integrated and leveraged approach to maximize the speed and scale needed for the universal deployment of such a vaccine by the end of this year,” UN Chief Guterres emphasised.
UN Chief said his request on March 25 for $2 billion in contributions for a comprehensive UN humanitarian response to the pandemic had so far raised about 20 per cent of that amount.
Through the World Health Organization, the UN has been able to equip 47 African nations with COVID-19 tests, Guterres said.
Over 134,600 people across the world have died from novel coronavirus infection so far, while the number of positive cases has surpassed 2 Million. The United States is the worst-hit country with the highest one-day toll record of nearly 2,600 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours
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United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday stopped funding to the WHO, blaming the UN body over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic as governments fight with how and when to get their struggling economies back to work.
Trump has alleged that the Geneva-based institution had promoted China’s “disinformation” about the coronavirus that possibly led to a wider outbreak which otherwise would not have occurred.
Donald Trump, late on Tuesday declared United States funding to WHO would be put on hold for 60-90 days pending a review “to assess the World Health Organization’s role in covering up the spread of the coronavirus”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was not the time to reduce resources for the World Health Organisation.
United Nations Cheif stressed on the need for unity of the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences.
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