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German Chancellor Merkel calls for global cooperation in COVID-19 vaccine development

Merkel also said the country wanted to work closely with the WHO, which has a key role in this issue.

German Chancellor Merkel calls for global cooperation in COVID-19 vaccine development

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Photo: AFP)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for global cooperation in developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

On Saturday, Merkel said in her weekly podcast specch, “This epidemic is a pandemic and a worldwide spreading disease that we cannot fight nationally but only together”, while referring to the video conference of G20 members in late March when the group decided to fight the pandemic together.

Her remarks came two days before the donor conference for coronavirus vaccine initiated by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, according to the media reports.

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The German Chancellor further said, “Everyone can get the virus, and that’s why we have the task of acting together worldwide. It is not just an opportunity for joint action, but I would say it is a must”.

Merkel also said the country wanted to work closely with the WHO, which has a key role in this issue.

In April, Merkel announced plans to slowly ease restrictions brought in to tackle the virus pandemic.

Earlier, she appealed to citizens’ “reason and empathy” in implementing the contact restrictions, saying she had been “very moved” by how closely people had stuck to less stringent.

Currently, the country has reported 164,967 coronavirus cases, with 6,812 deaths.

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