German official urges globally available vaccine

Germany's foreign minister says it is critical that any vaccine developed for the coronavirus is made available to everyone around the world

Heiko Maas spoke with his counterpart from South Korea, Kang Kyung-wha, during her visit to Berlin on Monday, and said they both agreed that “we need more worldwide coordination to shoulder the challenges, not less.” Both South Korea and Germany have been lauded for being able to quickly and effectively slow the spread of the virus in their countries, but Maas cautioned that “we are still in the middle of the pandemic.” He says “in order to overcome it, the question of how drugs and vaccinations are distributed after their development will be central.” “It is a human imperative that they be made available quickly and to as many people as possible, and not just those who can afford it,” Maas said.