LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Politics

UN chief says world must vaccinate everyone to defeat pandemic

1
2022-01-18 09:40:44CGTN Editor : Zhao Li ECNS App Download
Special: Battle Against Novel Coronavirus

The world must vaccinate everyone against COVID-19 in order to defeat the pandemic, said the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Guterres made the remarks on Monday in his address to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Davos Agenda, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The last two years have demonstrated a simple but brutal truth -- if we leave anyone behind, we leave everyone behind," said the United Nations Secretary-General.

"If we fail to vaccinate every person, we give rise to new variants that spread across borders and bring daily life and economies to a grinding halt."

Guterres' remarks come as the disparity between vaccinations in wealthy countries and those in lower income nations remains wide.

Last week, the World Health Organization's Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom said more than 9.4 billion vaccine doses had been administered globally. Thirty-six countries have however not yet vaccinated 10 percent of their populations, far below the agency's target of vaccinating at least 40 percent of their populations by end of 2021. The WHO has also set another target for countries to vaccinate at least 70 percent of their populations by mid-2022.

"We are nowhere near these targets," Guterres told the World Economic Forum.

"Vaccination rates in high-income countries are, shamefully, seven times higher than in African countries. We need vaccine equity, now," he added.

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

LINE
Back to top About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2022 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
[网上传播视听节目许可证(0106168)] [京ICP证040655号]
[京公网安备 11010202009201号] [京ICP备05004340号-1]