ISLAMABAD – Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Monday called for global cooperation in developing vaccines to fight against the novel coronavirus and said we cannot defeat this pandemic without collective efforts.
Talking to a private news channel, the minister stressed the importance of international cooperation in fighting against COVID-19 and restoring economy to ensure victory over the epidemic.
He said Pakistan is ready to cooperate with the international community on the research and development of vaccines, medicines, and testing reagents for COVID-19, and is willing to share the deliverables with the world.
“I think closing the door in the current situation will not be appropriated, rather we should expand our regional and international cooperation to handle the crisis”, he said.
Replying to a question, Fawad said preparation of a vaccine for the cure of COVID-19 is in the initial stage and once it is prepared, the main challenge will be its mass production, he explained.
“I am expecting the availability of vaccine till September or October next year, he said, adding, it is a fact that a single country cannot manufacture the vaccine so global cooperation in this regard is mandatory.
People should follow SOPs to contain the killer virus, he further advised. The solution to curing COVID-19 is related to medical research, he mentioned it.
At this time, 64 major research groups across the world are inter-connected and working to find out the cure for this disease, he informed.
Answering another question, he said the advanced countries could afford more easily to deal with the health crises but in the poorer countries, there was often hard for people to decide either to go to the workplace and risking their lives or staying at home and having no income.
Every government across the world is taking measures to ensure the prevention of COVID-19 pandemic from spreading, he said, adding, it is a good development that our government is also heading towards digitalization especially in the education system.
