Washington, Nov 6 (IANS): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that he will convene a virtual Covid-19 Ministerial on November 10 as "this global pandemic requires global action and continued focus".

"Foreign Ministers must play a central role to bring this pandemic to an end and prepare for the future. Together with my counterparts and leaders from regional and international organisations, we will assess the current state of the global response to Covid-19, the virus's impact, and the threat of future pandemics," Blinken was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the State Department late Friday.

"We will discuss efforts to accelerate toward vaccine equity and impact. We will discuss the need for sustainable financing for global health security.

"We will also assess the role of enhanced regional collaboration and coordinated political leadership in current and future preparedness and response," he added.

According to Blinken, the upcoming Ministerial will "build on the momentum generated by President Joe Biden's Covid-19 Summit, and it aims to establish a platform for regular engagements among Foreign Ministers to address health security".