UN urges world to quickly scale up medicines, vaccines

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly has called for global action to quickly scale up the development and access to medicine, vaccines and equipment to battle the pandemic.The World Health Organization is warning that a rush to ease coronavirus restrictions could lead to a resurgence of the illness. The UN resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to work with the WHO and recommend options ensuring equitable and timely access to testing, medical supplies, drugs and future vaccines, especially in developing countries. African officials have been outspoken about the need for medical supplies across the 54-nation continent, where health systems have been underfunded. The calls come as governments start tentatively easing restrictions to get their economies running again.