BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) — The Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping has reiterated its desire to be a participant in the global response for a vaccine for the coronavirus (COVID-19) that has killed 910,000 people and infected 28.2 million others worldwide.

St Kitts/Nevis Prime Minister, Dr Timothy Harris, who has lead responsibility for health within the quasi-Caricom cabinet, made the call during the high-level meeting on upscaling the global response to the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday.

The virtual global meeting was co-hosted by the President of the European Commission, Dr Ursula von der Leyen and the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus.

The objectives of the meeting were to align on the plan for the ACT-Accelerator as a key global solution to rapidly end the COVID-19 crisis and restore health systems and global growth as well as to concur on the economic rationale for fully financing the ACT-Accelerator including through the use of stimulus funding.

It was also intended to mobilize political leadership and international support to fully operationalize the shared commitment to global equitable allocation.

The ACT-Accelerator is the proven exit strategy for the world. Four tools have been identified for successfully controlling COVID-19. These are vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and strengthening of health systems.

Harris told the meeting attended by representatives of 128 participating countries and organisations that CARICOM wishes to be an active participant in the global response at the political, technical and economic levels, and welcomes its inclusion in the launch of the Council for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A).