Guterres meets German leaders, comments on vaccine

The UN's Secretary-General on Friday stressed that as wealthy nations roll out the coronavirus vaccine for their citizens, the world also needs to ensure it is available for “everyone, everywhere.”

In an address to Germany's parliament, Antonio Guterres praised the researchers from Germany's BioNTech who teamed up with US giant Pfizer and beat rivals in the race to put the first thoroughly vetted vaccine on the market.

He said the UN was also committed to providing news and advice people can trust and working to build confidence in the vaccine “guided by science, grounded in facts” to combat what he called the “virus of misinformation.”

He also heaped praise on Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying her “no-nonsense, steady, compassionate and wise guiding hand” had helped steer Germany through the pandemic.