Pakistan PM Imran calls for treating COVID-19 vaccine as global public good

Updated : April 08, 2021 10:59 PM IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday urged countries to call for treating the COVID-19 vaccine as a global public good while ensuring equity, affordability, enhanced production and timely supply to save lives.

Addressing the virtual D-8 summit hosted by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Khan said that the grouping was established due to a shared vision to improve member states' position in the global economy and now it is a bloc of over one billion people, with a combined GDP of USD 4 trillion.

The D-8 is a group for development co-operation among Bangladesh, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan. Amidst rising cases of the coronavirus in the country, Prime Minister Khan urged the D-8 countries to call for treating COVID-19 vaccine as a global public good while ensuring equity, affordability, enhanced production and timely supply to save lives.

We must push back against vaccine nationalism and undue export restrictions. The global vaccine manufacturing companies must either speed up production or share their technology and expertise with developing countries, he said. Pakistan on Thursday recorded 5,329 new coronavirus cases, the highest single day surge during the ongoing third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new cases are also the highest since June last year when the country faced the first wave of the coronavirus. Before this, the highest new cases in a day were 5,234 reported on April 1. With the new cases, the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country reached 705,501, the Ministry of National Health Services reported.

The data showed that 98 more people died in the last one day, pushing the COVID-19 death toll to 15,124. Another 3,942 were reportedly in a critical condition.

Published : April 08, 2021 10:59 PM IST

Pakistan PM Imran calls for treating COVID-19 vaccine as global public good

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