‘COVID-19 cannot be beaten one country at a time’ – UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the lack of global coordination in efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic will prolong the global crisis and cause more deaths, particularly in poorer countries.
In a video message released as the worldwide COVID-19 death toll reached the morbid milestone of 2 million deaths, the UN chief appealed for countries to work more closely together to end the pandemic and its cycle of death.
It took 10 months after the disease emerged in December 2019 to reach the first “grim milestone” of 1 million dead at the end of September last year. That number has now doubled in less than four months.
In addition to the human cost, the pandemic has wreaked havoc in the economies of almost every nation. Many people have lost their jobs and livelihoods, with millions forced into poverty and hunger worldwide.
Guterres said that behind that staggering 2 million figure – which he described as “heart-wrenching” – are the names and faces of real people who were taken from their families.
“The smile now only a memory, the seat forever empty at the dinner table, the room that echoes with the silence of a loved one,” Guterres said as he calling for greater international solidarity “in memory of those two million souls.”
Rich countries creating a ‘vaccine vacuum’
Guterres said the UN is supporting the largest global immunization operation in history, adding that the world organization is committed to ensuring vaccines are treated as a global public resource — the “people’s vaccines.”
He called for full funding of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator — a global collaboration that aims to speed up the development, production, and equitable distribution of vaccines, ensuring fair access — and its COVAX Facility, an initiative involving 64 higher-income countries that are working to ensure vaccines reach less-wealthy nations.
“The world’s leading economies have a special responsibility,” said Guterres, denouncing what he described as “a vaccine vacuum” created by rich countries buying up vaccine supplies, leaving none for the world’s poorest nations.
Some countries are “pursuing side deals, even procuring beyond need,” he pointed out.
While all governments have a responsibility to protect their populations, Guterres warned that indulging in such “vaccinationalism” is self-defeating and will delay the global recovery.
“COVID-19 cannot be beaten one country at a time,” he added.
Science offers hope, but do not neglect the simple
The UN chief called on all countries to share excess doses of vaccine so that health workers around the world can be inoculated as a matter of urgency to prevent the collapse of health systems, so that those on the front lines of the battle against the pandemic can be prioritized, including humanitarian workers.
Amid the runaway pandemic, Guterres urged caution and called on everyone to take precautions to protect the most vulnerable in society.
“As the science continues to blaze new trails of hope, let’s also remember the simple and proven steps we can all take to keep each other safe: wearing masks, physically distancing, and avoiding crowds,” he added.
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