140 World Leaders Demand Free Corona Vaccine

Former and current world leaders, including Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, have demanded that a cure for the corona virus be discovered and that a vaccine be made available to everyone free of charge.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and South African President Sirleaf Ramaphosa are among 140 world leaders and experts who have signed a joint letter on vaccine delivery.
According to the AFP news agency, the letter said that not all rights to the vaccine should be protected and its science should be shared with the United Nations.

The UN World Health Organization will hold a general meeting next week.
The letter called on all countries and international organizations to guarantee that once the effective vaccine is ready, it will soon be available to the people of all countries.
According to the letter, this condition should also apply to all corona virus treatment, diagnosis and other technologies.
The letter is also signed by the presidents of Senegal and Ghana.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was among those who signed the letter. Other former world leaders have also signed.
The letter came at a time when the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi said it would secure the first shipment of any corona virus vaccine.

The company's executive director said the vaccine use rights would be reserved for the United States first because the US government has provided funding for vaccine research.
The company's statement drew strong reactions from top officials and medical experts.
Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the chair of the African Union, has said that the rights to the corona virus vaccine should not be protected, it should be made very quickly, it should be distributed and it should be free for all.

The European Union's drug approval agency says the coronavirus vaccine could be approved within a year.
The European Medicines Agency is in contact with 33 different vaccine companies and is making every effort to expedite the vaccine development process.
The European Union has been hit hard by the corona virus. Europe fears that if the United States and China develop coronavirus vaccines, they may not be available in large quantities to the European Union.
According to the head of the European Medicines Agency, "everything can start from scratch and we can expect results throughout the year."
"If the vaccine is manufactured outside Europe, we need to make sure that it is available to all countries," said Peter Liz, an EU lawmaker.