COVAX info center

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COVID-19 is a global problem and the COVAX vaccination program is a global solution.

Find out here how UNICEF, together with partners and with the generous support of donors, ensures around the clock that no country is left out.

Videos on the subject

UNICEF delivers vaccines to Afghanistan

07.06.2021

UNICEF employees work tirelessly in Afghanistan. They travel through mountainous territory to deliver doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the farthest-flung areas. In the province of Daikundi, they use motorbikes to deliver protection to teachers like Gul Chaman Sadat Mousavi. Afghanistan received its first COVAX delivery of 468,000 doses of vaccine on 8 March 2021.

Vaccines for all

12.05.2021

With the COVAX vaccination program, UNICEF gives strong support to the equitable distribution of vaccines. This support is essential for countries in the low to middle income bracket. They account for almost half of the world's population, but have received only a small fraction of the available vaccines. High-income countries also do damage to themselves with this inequitable distribution. Because as long as the virus is still in circulation, people will get sick and die, and more dangerous mutations may appear.

David Beckham has a vaccine message

27.04.2021

Vaccinate yourself. Vaccinate your children. Help UNICEF vaccinate the world. It's how we can end the pandemic together. 

Routine vaccinations

19.04.2021

UNICEF is doing everything in its power so that 80 million children get the vaccinations they failed to receive due to the consequences of COVID-19, such as lockdown. Help UNICEF to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a health crisis for children.

Your donation to the COVAX vaccination program

Help children and families affected by COVID-19 and its consequences now.

COVAX vaccination program: safe access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country   

Our life can be totally transformed from one minute to the next. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that. With COVAX, one of the world's largest vaccination programs is being launched, which will bring a little bit more security and routine back into our everyday life. UNICEF is an important strategic partner in the procurement and distribution of the vaccines.

By the end of 2022, the COVAX vaccination program has the goal that:

UNICEF has been successful in combating similarly dangerous epidemics in the past: polio. In the first half of the 20th century, more than 350,000 people were dying every year. Most were children under the age of five. In the early 1950s, polio was spreading at such a rate that schools, parks and swimming pools were closed. In 1955, UNICEF launched a global vaccination campaign that has practically eradicated polio even to this day. Wild polio now exists in only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan. 

What does polio have in common with COVID-19? The campaign is proof of the effectiveness of modern medicine and achievements like vaccines. WHO estimates that vaccines save two to three million human lives every year. Today, UNICEF is faced with the mammoth task of making COVID-19 immunization possible for all, without jeopardizing the measures of existing immunization programs for children. 

The goal is to procure three billion COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021 alone. Processes are being established to integrate the vaccines as a part of health care. And strategies are being developed to prevent new outbreaks.

Why UNICEF?

UNICEF is the main partner of GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), the vaccine alliance. In the last 20 years, it has reached more than 760 million children with life-saving vaccines, preventing 13 million deaths.

By immunizing health care workers worldwide, we ensure that children and their mothers receive the help that they urgently need. For example, with vaccinations in cases of malnutrition and other fatal diseases such as malaria or diarrhea, but also with birth support and care before and after the birth. All these health care services can make the difference between life and death. It is unthinkable for COVID-19 to undo the past years' achievements in health care for children.

How?

As part of COVAX, UNICEF is responsible for the procurement of doses of COVID-19 vaccines. This includes freight, logistics and storage. Together with partners, we manage procurement and delivery in low- to middle-income economies. In addition, we support procurement for middle- to high-income economies. We therefore reach 80% of the world's population in total.

When?

Since the start of the COVAX campaign in early 2021, UNICEF has already delivered nearly 320 million Covid-19 vaccine doses (as of October 2021).

When WHO approves a safe and effective vaccine, UNICEF starts to deliver it to these countries. The first two billion doses of vaccine are primarily intended for the protection of employees in health care and social services and for people with high health risks.

Find out more about the COVAX vaccination program in our blog (in German):

Your donation to the COVAX vaccination program

Help children and families affected by COVID-19 and its consequences now.

All about COVID-19

There is a huge amount of information available about COVID-19. It is difficult to keep an overview and filter out the right information. Because false information can be dangerous, UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein has put the key facts about the virus and further links to reliable websites together for you here.

This is the link to the blog post "What you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines - answers to the most frequently asked questions" (in German):

Impfen ja, impfen nein – die meisten Erwachsenen sind bei dieser Frage bereits zu einem Schluss gekommen. Aber was ist mit Kindern und Jugendlichen, die sich erst seit kurzem gegen Covid-19 impfen können? Wie können Eltern sie dabei unterstützen, zu einem Entscheid zu kommen und wie können die Jugendlichen selbst eine eigene Entscheidung treffen? Die folgenden Merkblätter sollen dabei helfen.  

Most parents are having to juggle different roles in the current crisis. The family is under serious pressure because the various demands of parenting, leisure activities, home schooling and employment converge in a very small space. So that these can be handled without ruining your mental health, we have put some information together for you (article in German).

You will find more useful tips here:

• Helpful strategies for young people on the subject of mindfulness and mental health from an expert in adolescent psychology can be found here.
• WHO has prepared a helpful guide for children and adults on how to cope with stress during the pandemic.
• Tips for handling children in particularly stressful situations from the Swiss foundation for the Protection of Children (Kinderschutz Schweiz)
• Advice and further information on cyber bullying is available on the feel-ok.ch platform for children and on youthandmedia.ch for parents.

Handling the coronavirus places a great strain on municipalities and towns, as the smallest political unit. They have a decisive influence on the life of children, which is now severely restricted. This information sheet (in German) shows municipalities possible areas for action, topics and other organizations and links.

The burden on working parents has increased considerably because of the crisis. Accordingly, companies are also facing the challenge to create family-friendly working conditions and make this balancing act possible. This information sheet for companies puts together seven measures highlighting suggestions and solutions for a family-friendly corporate culture.

Find out more about the help UNICEF is providing in the war against the coronavirus (in German):

COVAX - together we are strong: with you, with partners

Thanks to the generous support of partners and people like you, UNICEF's aid reaches millions of children and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic primarily affects the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. They urgently need vaccines, health care and therapeutic help. Thank you.

Other supporters:

• BENECARE Foundation, Vaduz 

Your donation to the COVAX vaccination program

Help children and families affected by COVID-19 and its consequences now.