COVID-19 vaccine must be affordable, effective & universally available, says UN Chief

under-trial vaccine for Coronavirus must be considered a global public good and made affordable with universal availability, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday (local time). His statement comes in backdrop of clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine on humans, which has begun in several countries including US and Britain.

His remarks were made at launch of global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to new COVID-19 tools.

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Global collaboration to fight COVID-19

"A world free of COVID-19 requires biggest public health effort in global history: Data must be shared, resources mobilised and politics set aside. We are in fight of our lives. We are in it toger. And we will come out of it stronger, toger," Guterres said.

He furr said, "This launch brings toger world leaders, private sector, scientific and humanitarian actors and or partners to promote health, keep world safe and advance public good."

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This new collaboration was co-hosted by World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adham Ghebreyesus, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, vel coronavirus has infected more than 2.7 million people and killed at least 1,94,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

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(with ANI inputs)