The U.N. General Assembly demanded global action to quickly
scale up the development of and access to medicines, vaccines and equipment to
battle the COVID-19 pandemic, while the World Health Organization warned
Tuesday that rushing to ease coronavirus lockdowns could lead to a resurgence
of the outbreak.
The U.N. resolution asked Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
to work with the WHO and make recommendations to ensure that all people have
equitable and timely access to testing, medical supplies, drugs and future
vaccines, especially in developing countries.
African officials have been outspoken about the need for
medical supplies across the 54-nation continent, where health systems have
historically been underfunded and will be overwhelmed by the virus.
Even under a best-case scenario, Africa will need $44
billion for testing, personal protective equipment and treatment of
coronavirus, according to a report last week by the U.N. Economic Commission
for Africa. The worst-case scenario estimates $446 billion would be needed.
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