IRISH PEOPLE HAVE donated more than one million Covid-19 vaccines to people in some of the world’s poorest countries.
The ‘Get a Vaccine, Give a Vaccine’ campaign has raised more than €2.5 million since it was launched earlier this summer.
The appeal urges people getting vaccinated in Ireland to give a vaccine to people in poorer nations.
As a result of the campaign, one million vaccine doses will now be delivered to healthcare workers and vulnerable people in countries with little or no access to vaccines.
Around €4.48 allows UNICEF to deliver two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine to someone in a country facing a humanitarian crisis.
Peter Power, the executive director of UNICEF Ireland, says the response from people across Ireland has been inspiring.
“We have been simply blown away by the incredible gratitude and solidarity for others that people in Ireland have shown.
We have never witnessed anything like it before.
“We all know that nobody is safe until everyone is safe, and that no child is safe, until everyone they rely on is safe,” he said.
Power added that it is “astonishing” that some countries have vaccination rates of less than 5%, while the wealthiest nations have vaccinated the vast majority of their populations.
“By supporting this campaign in huge numbers Irish people have recognised that inequity and have taken this tangible expression of solidarity with people who have no access to vaccines,” he said.
The support in Ireland for the campaign is helping UNICEF to lead the largest-ever vaccine procurement and supply operation as part of the global COVAX programme.
COVAX has delivered over 175 million doses to 138 countries since March. It aims to secure enough vaccines this year for the most vulnerable 20% in every country, rich or poor.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation called for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September.
The move aims to enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated.
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