Peru's Foreign Affairs Minister Gustavo Meza-Cuadra participated in a conversation with counterparts from Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Morocco, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore in order to assess the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in their countries and on a global scale.
Held on Tuesday, the meeting allowed the exchange of experiences on issues such as
reopening of economies and multilateral cooperation to ensure that everyone has access to a potential coronavirus vaccine, which is being developed by laboratories around the world.
Meza-Cuadra stressed the need to work in a coordinated fashion at international forums to ensure that the eventual vaccine becomes a global public good.
Additionally, the Peruvian minister highlighted the importance of joining efforts and complementing capacities to develop the vaccine, tests and treatments.
The government official informed his counterparts about the experience and progress of the
National Health Institute (INS) in the development of a rapid molecular test.
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) or the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). These viruses can be transmitted between animals and people.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans. It is transmitted from human to human through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. COVID-19 is also transmitted by close contact with people infected by the virus.
(END) NDP/RMB/MVB
Published: 6/10/2020