Hot News
UN chief warns pandemic not over, decries vaccine inequality
![](https://cdn.wuzupnigeria.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/25004048/641e35000f536.jpg)
Agency Report
After two years the Covid-19 pandemic is not yet over and could be prolonged further due to “scandalously unequal” vaccine distribution, the UN secretary-general warned Wednesday.
“The pandemic’s most tragic toll has been on the health and lives of millions, with more than 446 million cases worldwide, more than six million deaths confirmed, and countless more grappling with worsening mental health,” said UN chief Antonio Guterres in a statement marking the second anniversary of the global crisis.
“Thanks to unprecedented public health measures, and the extraordinarily rapid development and deployment of vaccines, many parts of the world are bringing the pandemic under control,” he said.
“But it would be a grave mistake to think the pandemic is over.”
Guterres noted that the “distribution of vaccines remains scandalously unequal,” and that while 1.5 billion doses of vaccine are produced each month, “nearly three billion people are still waiting for their first shot.”
“This failure is the direct result of policy and budgetary decisions that prioritize the health of people in wealthy countries over the health of people in poor countries,” said Guterres.
He added that the two-tiered recovery is “a recipe for more variants, more lockdowns and more sorrow and sacrifice in every country.”
The statement concluded by calling on the whole world to “re-dedicate ourselves to ending this pandemic… and closing this sad chapter in humanity’s history, once and for all.”
AFP
-
Trending17 hours ago
Porn, betting sites recorded 162m Nigerian visitors in June – StatiSense
-
Metro22 hours ago
Man arrested for impregnating 16-year-old sister-in-law in Anambra
-
Metro22 hours ago
Lagos govt dismantles illegal structures around schools
-
News19 hours ago
Protest is a constitutional right – Actor Chidi Mokeme
-
Metro22 hours ago
Delta community petitions IGP after land grabbers kill two policemen
-
Metro18 hours ago
Oyo man attacked by unknown gunmen
-
Metro16 hours ago
Explosion at Yobe market leaves one injured
-
News15 hours ago
Cross River gov approves N10bn for pensioners