Singapore to develop and distribute vaccines fairly and quickly to all countries: PM Lee

[SINGAPORE] The Republic will work with various parties to develop vaccines and distribute them fairly and quickly to people worldwide, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at a virtual summit on Saturday.

He noted in a Facebook post the next day that Singapore has been doing its part in collecting and analysing data on the coronavirus to better understand the threat.

"But our efforts alone are not enough. A global pandemic requires a coordinated global response, especially in scientific research and government actions," he wrote.

He added: "The search for vaccines may take some time, but we will maximise our chances of tackling Covid-19 by working together."

Mr Lee was speaking at the Global Goal: Unite for our Future Pledging Summit, held as an online event by advocacy group Global Citizen.

Wire agency Reuters reported that coronavirus cases worldwide approached 10 million on Sunday and have killed almost half a million people in seven months. Singapore has seen more than 43,000 Covid-19 cases and 26 deaths so far.

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In his speech at the rally, Mr Lee emphasised the importance of "vaccine multilateralism" in the fight against Covid-19.

He said Singapore looks forward to working with the European Commission, like-minded countries, the World Health Organisation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, "to develop vaccines and distribute them fairly and expeditiously to people in all countries".

"Until a vaccine is found, we are unlikely to see a return to our pre-Covid-19 way of life," he said.

He added that Singapore hopes to collaborate with like-minded parties to support key initiatives such as the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator - a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines - and the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, as "Friends of the Facility".

THE STRAITS TIMES