Covid-19 vaccine must be made available to all, PM Muhyiddin says in UNGA address


Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin speaks during a live telecast on the Covid-19 pandemic in Kajang September 15, 2020. — Picture Shafwan Zaidon
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin speaks during a live telecast on the Covid-19 pandemic in Kajang September 15, 2020. — Picture Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 — A vaccine for Covid-19, once it is found, must be accessible to all nations and peoples, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Delivering Malaysia’s national statement at the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), he said there should not be any discrimination whatsoever in that aspect.

“We must remember that since Covid-19 does not discriminate, our response should not too,” he said.

Muhyiddin added that the deadly virus has taken so many lives and has exposed the true capacity and effectiveness of healthcare systems.

The socio-economic impact has been just as severe, he said.

This is Muhyiddin’s maiden address to a high-level meeting of the UN since taking over as Prime Minister of Malaysia in March this year. The meeting was held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the statement was pre-recorded  at his office in Putrajaya. — Bernama