In the wake of EU’s proposal to impose tight controls on export of Covid-19 vaccines made in the bloc, UK’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock has ensured that UK would work with EU to ensure there’s no disruption to the supply of coronavirus vaccines.
Speaking at a webinar in Chatham House on Tuesday, drawing instances from history and pandemics that the world has witnessed before, Mr Hancock emphasised on the importance of ‘collective measures’ to fight grave illnesses like Covid-19.
He said, “How to keep humans safe and healthy in an interconnected world even more pressing now than in 19th century…
“For me the history of 2020 was about nations working together to solve pressing challenges immediately in front of them at home.
“Now is the time to reject protectionism and narrow nationalism and the disinformation that can divide us and can hinder the response to this common threat. Afterall Covid-19 affects every nation because we are all human. 2021 should be the year humanity comes together despite the restrictions that keep us physically apart.”
This was Health Secretary’s first speech of the G7 presidency, at a time when global public health has been hitting the headlines like never before. He outlined his vision for a more effective global response and his plans to ensure preparedness for the threats of the future.
Setting the G7 agendas, he spoke about health security irrespective of any differences, developing transparent ways of preventing, detecting and responding to outbreaks, strengthening the World Health Organisation so that it is nimbler and delivering effective surveillance and early warning systems to the threat of the future.
The Minister insisted on shared experiences, international collaboration and said he found UK as a consistent voice for global solidarity throughout the crisis and urged G7 to follow the lead, especially in helping developing nations. He also mentioned that there would be a new 'variant assessment platform', to be led by Public Health England (PHE), to analyse the genetics of Covid-19 samples.
India has been invited to participate in the G7 Summit in the UK summer 2021 by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have agreed to attend.
