Red Cross urges against "vaccine nationalism"June 4, 2020 - 18:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Red Cross and the UN urged countries Wednesday, June 3 to avoid trying to secure future immunisation jabs against the coronavirus for their populations only, calling for a true "people's vaccine", AFP reports. The groups spoke out as scientists race to identify and test possible vaccines for Covid-19, which has killed more than 380,000 people and infected close to 6.5 million globally. They are also scrambling to find a safe and effective treatment. "We need to fight what is now called vaccine nationalism," Emanuel Capobianco, head of health at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told AFP. Unless there was a clear international commitment to global solidarity on this issue, individual countries might end up scrambling to secure their own populations' vaccine needs. But while the world waited for that vaccine, countries would do well to invest in getting production and distribution up to scale -- for everyone, everywhere, he advised. "Now is the moment to prioritise that," said Capobianco. "We need to make sure that this spirit of global solidarity and this principle of vaccines as a public good is put at the very centre of the political agenda on Covid-19." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |