Zurich Switzerland and the Z Zurich Foundation support UNICEF's efforts to help deliver COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries for the COVAX Facility. This is the only way to push back the virus worldwide and protect the most vulnerable from the consequences of the pandemic.
The situation
While rich industrial nations were able to secure millions of doses of vaccine at an early stage, poorer countries were left out. In the current year, nine out of ten people in developing countries are likely to go without. In parts of Africa, it will probably take another four years for enough doses of vaccine to be available to protect everyone. But regardless of the financial position, every country needs to have access to vaccines to protect its population against the coronavirus. This is a matter of global equity and the moral claim on our society.
The longer the coronavirus crisis lasts, the more serious its impact on education, health, nutrition and the well-being of children worldwide. It will only be possible to find a way out of the pandemic if COVID-19 can be brought under control worldwide.
How UNICEF helps
UNICEF plays a leading role in COVAX, the global initiative for the equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries. In the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation ever, UNICEF can draw on decades of experience with vaccination programs worldwide.
UNICEF could guarantee transportation of an estimated 850 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines per month in 2021 if adequate volumes of coronavirus vaccine are available. Access to 1.8 billion doses of the vaccine is to be provided by the COVAX facility by the end of the year. This is what UNICEF is doing to achieve that goal:
- Transport: vaccines, syringes and safety boxes are being distributed to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries
- Refrigerators are being procured and installed to ensure an end-to-end cold chain
- Logistics workers are being trained in the correct handling of temperature-sensitive vaccines
- Healthcare workers are being trained in administering the vaccine
- We are educating people on the subject of vaccination
Your donation counts double!
Every franc counts and helps twice, as your donation will be doubled by the Z Zurich Foundation. With your donation, you are advocating for vaccine equity. Because no one is safe until everyone is safe.
