Fawad Ch urges UN to ensure availability of new COVID-19 vaccine for poor countries

Pfizer just launched a COVID-19 vaccine that has been making headlines for being the magical cure we have been waiting for. While this is massive news, it is also important that this vaccine is accessible by poor and underdeveloped countries as well. This point was stressed by Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary during a recent event, as he urged the United Nations to ensure the miracle vaccine’s availability across the world.

While speaking at an event held in COMSTECH to mark the occasion of World Science Day for Peace and Development, the Minister highlighted and lauded the efforts of the international scientists and researchers who made the COVID-19 vaccine possible. He also underscored the importance of ensuring that there were no barriers to the accessibility of this vaccine anywhere in the world.

Organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in collaboration with the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South, Organization of Islamic Cooperation Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, and the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, the event progressed with the theme of “Science for and with Society”.

The Minister also took the opportunity to talk about Pakistan’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that the country had come a long way ever since the very first positive case was reported. Initially, it was completely dependent on foreign imports for essentials like masks, goggles, protective clothing, and ventilators.

Now, however, Pakistan was not only self-sufficient in its coronavirus response, but was also exporting critical medical equipment to other areas of the world within a mere four months.