⁍ Pope Francis said the worldwide pandemic had highlighted the urgent need to promote public health.

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⁍ More than 150 vaccines are in development, about two dozen are in human studies and a handful are in late-stage trials.

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⁍ In other parts of his address, he repeated calls for rich countries to reduce or forgive debts that are burdening poor countries.

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– Pope Francis addressed the UN General Assembly in a video address today, and he had some advice for the world’s richest nations when it comes to making vaccines: Give preference to the poor. “If anyone should be given preference, let it be the poorest, the most vulnerable, those who so often experience discrimination because they have neither power nor economic resources,” he said, according to Reuters. More than 150 vaccines are in development, and two dozen are in human studies.