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WHO: Since WWII, No Crisis Demonstrates Need for UN More Than COVID-19

VOA News

   The World Health Organization'sdirector-general said Monday no crisis
   since World War II demonstrates more clearly the need for the United
   Nations than the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is the illness caused by
   the coronavirus.

   Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the 75th anniversary of the
   United Nations as well as the start of the U.N. General Assembly this
   week, as he opened his regular briefing from WHO headquarters in
   Geneva.

   Tedros said WHO, as "a proud member of the U.N. family," had three key
   messages for the U.N. members.

   "First, the pandemic must motivate us to redouble our efforts to
   achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, not become an excuse for
   missing them; Second, we must prepare for the next pandemic now. And
   third, we must move heaven and Earth to ensure equitable access to
   diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines," said WHO's director-general.

   Tedros said from the very beginning, the WHO has been committed to
   global efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and other treatments.
   Central to that effort, he said, was the partnership with the global
   vaccine alliance, GAVI, to establish the cooperative COVID-19 Vaccine
   Global Access (COVAX)facility, designed to ensure equitable access to
   any COVID-19 vaccine or treatments that maybe developed.

   According to the Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global
   coronavirus pandemic, more than 31 million people are infected, and
   more than 961,000 people have died. The United States leads the world
   with more than 6.8 million infections and close to 200,000 deaths.

   Meanwhile, nearly half of Americans, or 49%, said they definitely or
   probably would not get an inoculation if a coronavirus vaccine were
   available today, while 51% said they would, according to a Pew Research
   Center poll conducted earlier this month. Those who lean toward
   rejecting the inoculation have cited concerns about side effects.

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