— AFP/ fileGENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) Wednesday urged rich countries to pay their fair share of the money needed for its plan to conquer COVID-19 by contributing $16 billion as a matter of urgency. The WHO said the rapid cash injection into its Access to COVID Tools Accelerator could finish off COVID as a global health emergency this year. "If higher-income countries pay their fair share of the ACT-Accelerator costs, the partnership can support low- and middle-income countries to overcome low COVID-19 vaccination levels, weak testing, and medicine shortages," he said in a statement. Just 0.4 percent of the 4.7 billion COVID tests administered globally during the pandemic have been used in low-income countries. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who co-chairs the ACT-A facilitation council, said inequitable access to COVID vaccines, tests and treatments was simply prolonging the pandemic.

Source: The Nation February 09, 2022 23:12 UTC