Pope Francis said Wednesday that a coronavirus vaccine should be available to everyone once developed, especially poor people.
“How sad it would be if access to a COVID-19 was made a priority for the richest,” the pope said during his general audience address, CNN reported. “It would be sad if the vaccine became the property of such and such nation and not universal for everyone.”
He noted the coronavirus pandemic “has uncovered the plight of the poor and the great inequality that reigns in the world.”
“On the one hand, it is imperative to find the cure for a small but terrible virus, which is bringing the whole world to its knees,” he said. “On the other hand, we must cure a great virus, that of social injustice, inequality of opportunity, marginalization and lack of protection for the weakest.”
As of Wednesday, more than 22 million coronavirus cases have been reported globally, including roughly 782,000 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.
