October 20, 2020

Anna Murray 

In anticipation of the novel COVID-19 vaccine soon will come up and be available, UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children's Fund, has made arrangements in setting up an efficient, rapid, and safe delivery of the vaccines. So far, UNICEF has purchased and stockpiled more than 520 million syringes. Meanwhile, UNICEF, which is the largest single buyer of vaccines in the world, has distributed syringes and equipment in countries where it operates to use.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore is confident in getting ready for COVID-19 vaccines, as twittered on October 19, describing UNICEF warehouses having more than half a billion syringes enough to wrap around the earth one and a half times.

In addition, UNICEF bought solar-powered refrigerators to transport and store the vaccines at the right temperature in countries without electricity and 5 million safety boxes to dispose of syringes after shot. All the purchasing, distribution, and preparation of UNICEF have been reportedly achieved in partnership with the global vaccine alliance GAVI for the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX Facility). Both agencies have collaborated for decades on many GAVI-funded immunization programs. 

Photo:Webshot.