Antonio Gueterres: "Fortunate and grateful to get the first dose of my COVID-19 vaccine"
Antonio Guterres, the Director General of the United Nations took his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Friday. The UN chief took to Twitter and posted pictures and video messages saying, "We must get to work to make sure the vaccine is available to everyone, everywhere." Mr Guterres said, "With this pandemic, none of us are safe until all of us are safe." He received the shot at Adlai E Stevenson High School in The Bronx, a few miles from the UN Headquarters in New York. "My message for 2021 is a message of hope and determination," he said.
Mr Guterres, 71, was eligible for the coronavirus vaccine on the basis of his age as all New York residents above 65 are included in the current phase of vaccination. School workers, first responders, public transit workers and grocery store workers are also included in the priority list, according to a UN press release.
"2020 was a year of death, disaster and despair. 2021 must be the year to change gear and put the world on track. We need to move from death to health...," Mr Guterres tweeted.
In December, Mr Guterres had said that he would happily receive a vaccine in public, adding that it was moral obligation for him. "Each one of us provides a service to the whole community", he had said, "because there is no longer a risk of spreading the disease."
Media persons were invited to observe the UN chief receiving his shot at a time when many countries are seeing a significant proportion of population expressing "vaccine hesitancy", according the press release.