Australia stresses finding COVID-19 origins at UNGA

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Australia stressed finding the source of the deadly coronavirus Friday as its prime minister said the infection has affected all of humanity.

“There is also a clear mandate to identify the zoonotic source of the COVID-19 virus and how it was transmitted to humans. Australia strongly advocated for this review,” Scott Morrison told the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

The virus inflicted a calamity on the world and its peoples, he said. “We must do all we can to understand what happened for no other purpose than to prevent it from happening again.”

He detailed his country’s battle with COVID-19 and insisted that any possible vaccine should be available for the whole world.

“Whoever has the vaccine, share it with everyone and as Australia, we pledge to do same if we are able to bring it first,” he said. “Our aim is simple: to deny the virus the destruction it seeks to
visit upon us, upon our lives and our livelihoods.”

He also reflected on the global health threat from COVID-19 and said, “We have all been reminded about the importance of multilateral cooperation.”

The pandemic has claimed more than 979,300 lives in 188 countries and regions since first reported in China last December. The US, Brazil, Russia and India are currently the worst-hit countries.

More than 32 million cases have been reported worldwide, while greater than 22 million patients have recovered, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.