G20 nations warn uneven vaccine roll-out could stall recovery

‘We will not get back to our normal lives until the virus is eradicated in all countries,’ Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance Daniele Franco said following Friday’s virtual meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs.

The uneven distribution of vaccines between wealthier and poorer countries is a key concern of Group of 20 (G20) nations as leaders consider how to create even footing for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic both in economic and health terms, Italy’s economy minister said Friday. Daniele Franco told a virtual news conference after the meeting of finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the G20 economies that a core priority for the group is “to grant equitable access” to safe vaccines. “We will not get back to our normal lives until the virus is eradicated in all countries,” Franco said. He added that the ministers and governors agreed on the necessity of a “bold and global response aimed at curbing the virus diffusion everywhere”.