Unity remains key to virus battle, says WHO chief

The World Health Organization, or WHO, on Friday teamed up with governments and the private sector in an initiative to speed up the development and production of and equitable access to new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

According to a WHO report on Thursday, there are now more than 2.5 million confirmed cases and 175,000 deaths worldwide as a result of the novel coronavirus.

"We will only halt COVID-19 through solidarity," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a virtual conference attended by leaders of governments, international organizations and corporations.

He said that countries, health partners, manufacturers, and the private sector must act together and ensure that the fruits of science and research can benefit everybody.

The WHO has been working with researchers from around the world on diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines since January. But the organization said the challenge is to speed up and harmonize processes to ensure that once products are deemed safe and effective, they can be brought to the billions of people in the world who need them.

"The world needs these tools, and it needs them fast," Tedros said, while announcing the collaboration known as the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, or the ACT Accelerator.

He said that past experience has taught the world that even when tools are available, they have been not been equally available to all. "We cannot allow that to happen," he said.

"In an interconnected world, none of us is safe until all of us are safe," added United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

He stressed that the world needs the development, production and equitable delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, therapeutics and diagnostics.

"Not a vaccine or treatment for one country or one region or one-half of the world — but a vaccine and treatment that are affordable, safe, effective, easily administered and universally available — for everyone, everywhere," he said.

Guterres said that the goal of a world free of COVID-19 requires the most massive public health effort in history.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that a vaccine will be developed in a certain country by certain pharmaceutical groups. "We need to make sure it will be rendered accessible to everybody around the world," he said.

Last month German newspaper Die Welt reported that United States President Donald Trump had offered a large sum of money to German company CureVac to produce vaccine "for the US only", a move that later triggered outcry in Germany and the European Union. Since then, the US has announced a halt to its funding of the WHO.

On Friday Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the WHO for its leadership role in the fight against COVID-19 and called on the world to pool resources in collaboration.

"We will only be able to succeed if we unite our forces," she said.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said that now more than ever, the world needs solidarity and cooperation to mobilize all efforts to deliver equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

"Africa is extremely vulnerable to the ravages of this virus, and there is a need for every possible support and assistance," said Ramaphosa, who is also chairperson of the African Union.

"As Africa, we are pleased to be part of the global effort that we're all involved in to tackle this pandemic."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU will spare no effort to help the world come together against novel coronavirus.

She announced that to support the effort, the EU and its partners will organize a worldwide pledging marathon for countries and organizations on May 4 in a bid to raise 7.5 billion euros ($8.1 billion) in initial funding.