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World leaders eye global deal to tackle outbreaks
Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson among 23 leaders to jointly float a proposal for an international treaty.
Leaders of 23 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday backed a plan to create an international treaty that would help the world deal with future health emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic.
The idea of such a treaty, which would ensure equitable access to vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for pandemics, was floated by the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, at a G20 summit last November. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom then endorsed the idea at its governing body meeting in January, but formal negotiations haven’t begun, say diplomats.
On Tuesday, the treaty proposal got the backing of the leaders of Fiji, Portugal, Romania, Britain, Rwanda, Kenya, France, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Chile, Costa Rica, Albania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Senegal, Spain, Norway, Serbia, Indonesia, Ukraine and also the WHO.
“There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone,” the leaders wrote in an opinion article in major newspapers. “We believe that nations should work together towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response.”
Canada, meanwhile, has halted the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine for people below 55, while Germany has paused its use for those under 60 due to concerns over blood clots, although a link is yet to be established.
Pakistan’s top leadership has been hit by the coronavirus with President Arif Alvi and defence minister Pervez Khattak contracting the disease, just days after Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife tested positive for Covid-19.
On Monday, Alvi tweeted that he had tested positive for the disease. “I have tested positive for Covid-19... Had the first dose of the vaccine, but antibodies started developing after the second dose that was due in a week,” he said. The exact date when Alvi, 71, contracted the disease was not made public.
Sindh governor Imran Ismail tweeted that defence minister Khattak, 71, had also tested positive. PM Khan, 68, tested positive for the virus on March 20. His wife Bushra Bibi also tested positive the same day.
