London, Feb. 24, 2021 (AltAfrica)-European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday supported a call by French President Emmanuel Macron to donate COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers in Africa, as a star-studded event was announced to support equitable distribution.
The west Africa of Senegal today launched its mass covid vaccination campaign with health minister taking the first jab to demonstrate safely
(twitter image)“Vaccines are still scarce everywhere but it is in our common interest to share,” von der Leyen said in a webcast with the World Health Organisation (WHO).I
“And I therefore support President Macron’s proposal to donate vaccine doses that are necessary to vaccinate health care workers in Africa.”
The European Union has contributed an additional 500 million euros ($606 million) to the WHO-backed COVAX programme to supply COVID-19 shots to emerging economies, doubling the bloc’s initial contribution.
Global Citizen, an international pressure group that aims to end extreme poverty by 2030, launched a campaign to support equitable distribution of vaccines that will feature a broadcast special in May.
Artists scheduled to participate include Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter, Billie Eilish.
“A year ago I was three shows into my world tour, when because of COVID-19 we had to cancel everything … The pandemic is still raging across the globe, and I’m still at home like most of you,” the 19-year-old said.
“But we’ve seen how we can create change, when we come together and use our voices so we’ve got to take action to get everybody access to COVID-19 vaccines as quickly as possible.”
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