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UNITED NATIONS, United States: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted on Friday (September 25) that any nation that develops a COVID-19 vaccine will share it universally, warning that history will be a “harsh judge” if not.
Morrison made a strong appeal to the United Nations because the United States, Australia’s historic ally, is resisting global efforts to collaborate on a vaccine.
“When it comes to a vaccine, Australia’s view is very clear: whoever finds the vaccine should share it,” Morrison said in a message to the virtual UN General Assembly recorded in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
“This is a global responsibility and it is a moral responsibility that a vaccine is shared everywhere,” he said.
“Some may see a short-term advantage or even a gain, but I assure you, anyone who thinks along those lines, humanity will have a very long memory and will be a very, very severe judge.
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Morrison promised Australia will share a vaccine if it discovers it and voiced his support for Covax, the UN initiative that aims to have two billion doses of a vaccine ready for universal distribution by the end of 2021.
The United States, China and Russia, which, to great skepticism, have already presented their own vaccine, have rejected Covax.
The administration of President Donald Trump has notified that the United States will withdraw from the World Health Organization, calling it biased towards China, and has refused to promise to share the COVID investigation for fear of theft of intellectual property from US pharmaceutical companies. .
Unlike Trump, Morrison credited the WHO’s efforts to contain COVID-19.
But Australia has joined the United States in pushing forward an investigation into the origins of Covid, the news of which was initially suppressed when cases emerged in China late last year.
“We must do everything we can to understand what happened for the sole purpose of preventing it from happening again,” Morrison said.
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Australia’s call for an investigation has contributed to a sharp deterioration in relations with China, whose ties have also dramatically soured with the United States.
Australia, with its geographic isolation and strict measures, has been more successful than most Western countries in containing COVID-19.
Morrison has advocated for mandatory vaccinations once a vaccine is available.
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