U.N. SG Calls On Nations To Fully Fund COVAX To Reduce Vaccine Distribution Inequity, Warns Vaccine Nationalism Spreading ‘With Full Speed’

AP: U.N. chief warns ‘vaccine nationalism’ is moving at full speed
“Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday that ‘vaccine nationalism’ is moving ‘at full speed,’ leaving poor people around the globe watching preparations for inoculations against the coronavirus in some rich nations and wondering if and when they will be vaccinated. The U.N. chief reiterated his call for vaccines to be treated as ‘a global public good,’ available to everyone, everywhere on the planet, especially in Africa. And he appealed for $4.2 billion in the next two months for the World Health Organization’s COVAX program, an ambitious project to buy and deliver coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poorest people…” (Lederer, 12/10).

U.N. News: Fund COVAX to reduce COVID vaccination distribution inequity — U.N. chief
“With so-called vaccine nationalism spreading ‘with full speed,’ the Secretary-General told a journalists, following the fourth annual African Union-U.N. conference, that the continent must be ‘effectively supported’ to fight the pandemic everywhere. The COVAX international vaccine initiative requires $4.2 billion over the next two months to ensure that ‘sooner rather than later,’ World Health Organization (WHO)-approved inoculation can get underway in Africa, U.N. chief António Guterres said…” (12/9).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.