Global COVID-19 summit planned for May 12

KARACHI: The Global COVID-19 Summit is announced for a second virtual summit that will be held next month to address efforts to end the pandemic and prepare for future health risks.

An international approach to control COVID-19 is needed because new variations such as Omicron have emerged and spread, the White House said in a joint statement with the G7/G20 governments.

In the wake of a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in the United States and around the world, a new viral strain has emerged that is more easily transmitted.

An almost three-week shutdown in Shanghai, China's most populated city, and wider China restraints are taking their toll on the world's second-largest economy.

According to a statement, this summit will build on the progress and commitments made at the first global summit, which was held in September. This includes vaccinating more people, sending tests and treatments to the highest-risk populations, expanding health care worker protections, and raising funds for pandemic preparedness.

In order to deal with forthcoming health crises as well as COVID-19 variants, "we know that we must prepare now to establish, sustain, and finance the global capacity we require," it stated.