Prioritise vaccine contracts with UN-led COVAX initiative, urges health chief Tedros

(United Nations News) The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on manufacturers to prioritise contracts with the UN-led equitable vaccines initiative, COVAX, declaring that it’s “not a matter of charity, it’s a matter of epidemiology”.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking at WHO’s regular bi-weekly briefing for journalists on the latest efforts to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic.

He began by praising Friday’s pledge from leaders of the seven leading industrial nations, the G7, to intensify cooperation and increase their overall contribution to the international effort under the so-called ACT Accelerator programme, to around $7.5 billion.

COVAX is working to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics to end the crippling march of the coronavirus, and Tedros expressed his thanks to the G7, together with European Union nations, who committed an extra $4.3 billion overall last week.

Read more at: United Nations News

Source: CARICOM TODAY