UN declares December 27 as “International Day of Epidemic Preparedness”

Agency: A year into a global battle against coronavirus, the United Nations General Assembly yesterday declared December 27 as the “International Day of Epidemic Preparedness”.

According to Reuters, the declaration is an attempt to ensure lessons are learned for any future health crises.

The COVID-19 virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and spread globally. So far, the disease has infected more than 66 million people and killed some 1.5 million.

The World Health Organization called it a pandemic in March, a declaration that the United States and others said came too late.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted a resolution by consensus yesterday that recognizes the need “to raise the level of preparedness in order to have the earliest and most adequate response to any epidemic that may arise.”

The U.N. resolution stresses the importance of international cooperation and multilateralism.