UN leader urges ‘concrete’ moves on year-end vaccine goal

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres exhorted the world Thursday to make “concrete” progress within days toward a now-distant goal of vaccinating 40% of the global population against COVID-19 before the year ends.

“Vaccine inequity is giving variants a free pass to run wild,” Guterres — working from home because of exposure to the coronavirus — told reporters by videoconference as countries grappled with the spread of the virus’ omicron variant.