UN chief receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

ANKARA, Jan 29  -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported.

"I was fortunate and grateful to get the first dose of my #COVID19 vaccine today," Guterres said on Twitter. 

"We must get to work to make sure the vaccine is available to everyone, everywhere. With this pandemic, none of us are safe until all of us are safe,” he added. 

He joined New Yorkers in his age group at a high school used for vaccination. 

“I am very thankful to the City of New York for including @UN staff and diplomats in their #COVID19 vaccination programme. Solidarity is crucial in our global fight against the pandemic,” he said.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 2.18 million lives in 192 countries and regions.

Over 101.4 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries now totalling over 56 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The US, India and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of cases.

-- BERNAMA