U.N. chief Guterres calls for fairer economies, social justice amid COVID-19 crisis

Record ID: 1561839

  • Title: U.N. chief Guterres calls for fairer economies, social justice amid COVID-19 crisis
  • Date: 11th July 2020
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT - JUNE 24, 2020) (AGENCY POOL) JUNIOR MHLONGO BEING INJECTED WITH POTENTIAL VACCINE FOR COVID-19 IN CLINICAL TRIAL IN SOWETO TOWNSHIP VACCINE IN CONTAINER NURSE PUTTING BAND-AID ON PATIENT'S ARM FOLLOWING INJECTION PATIENTS WAITING TO RECEIVE POTENTIAL VACCINE NURSE TALKING TO PATIENTS AHEAD OF VACCINATION
  • Embargoed: 25th July 2020 09:43
  • Keywords: AIDS Antonio Guterres Bill Gates COVID-19 International AIDS Society United Nations coronavirus meeting
  • Location: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA / KIGALI, RWANDA / NEW YORK, NEW YORK AND SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES / SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • City: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA / KIGALI, RWANDA / NEW YORK, NEW YORK AND SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES / SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA001CMD6HQF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The United Nations chief on Saturday (July 11) called for fairer economic systems and urged that a future vaccine for the new coronavirus should be available to "everyone everywhere."
    Speaking in a pre-recorded message, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a virtual conference organised by the International AIDS Society that the recovery from the new coronavirus pandemic should be based on "economic and social justice."
    Guterres said a future vaccine against the virus should be a "people's vaccine."
    The United States has poured billions of dollars into vaccine efforts at Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and AstraZeneca.
    J&J has said it is aiming for one billion doses. Pfizer and BioNTech are also pursuing a vaccine and have said they aim to have 1.2 billion doses by the end of 2021.
    Speaking during the conference, philanthropist Bill Gates echoed Guterres' call, saying vaccines should not go only to those who could afford them.
    "If we just let drugs and vaccines go to the highest bidders instead of to the people and the places where they most needed, we will have a longer, more unjust, deadlier pandemic," Gates said.
    He added that the pandemic has also disrupted global supply chains for treatments for other diseases, including AIDS. This, he argued, could limit access to medicines for hundreds of thousands around the world.
    (Production: Cecile Mantovani, Ardee Napolitano)
  • Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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