Delivering
Covid-19 Vaccines
What you need to know
The plan is ambitious. The scale and speed – unprecedented.
UNICEF is ready to deliver 2 billion doses for health workers and the most vulnerable people across the globe.
The Covid-19 vaccine is a major step towards tackling the biggest global crisis since World War 2.
UNICEF is ensuring equal and fair access to the vaccines. In fact, we’re leading the global procurement and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines for 92 low-and middle-income countries.
Learn about UNICEF’s critical mission below or see what you can do now.
Why UNICEF?
Over 75 years, UNICEF has built an unprecedented global-health support system. As the largest single vaccine buyer in the world, we already vaccinate half the world’s children.
We’re the only organisation with the infrastructure, experience and expertise already in place to make it happen quickly.
Learn more
Covid-19 is a global problem – and COVAX is a global solution. UNICEF is a part of COVAX, a truly ground-breaking collaboration between 190 countries with a simple objective: work together to accelerate the development, production and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. Its core aim is to make sure every country in the world has fair and equal access to these vaccines.
COVAX is the vaccines part of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. It is co-led by Gavi (The Vaccine Alliance) and the WHO, among others.
UNICEF is a key player in this partnership – we have the people and systems in place to deliver vaccines to those who need them most. UNICEF will be leading efforts to procure and supply Covid-19 vaccines. This means we will work with manufacturers and partners to procure vaccine doses, as well as the freight, logistics and storage of the vaccines, on behalf of COVAX.
In 2021, we will make 2 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine available to 92 low-and middle-income countries. We’ll be transporting 850 tonnes of Covid-19 vaccines every month – the same weight as 70 double-decker buses.
Our most urgent priority is to protect health workers and the most vulnerable people across the globe. After that, UNICEF is calling for teachers, child protection workers and other workers who provide essential services for children to be prioritized to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
UNICEF has been working closely with governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. We’ve worked to limit the spread of the virus and reduce the impact on children and families, especially in countries with weaker health systems.
- We’ve reached nearly 3 billion people with Covid-19 prevention messages.
- We’ve trained millions of health care worker on how to manage this virus.
- We’ve ensured almost 250 million children continue their education where schools were closed.
Whilst the vaccines aren’t going to children, they will benefit children as the world restarts. Because children are only safe if everyone they rely on is safe.
Vaccinating health workers will help ease the pressure on struggling health services and will save the lives of millions of children, parents and caregivers. We will then focus on protecting teachers, so that children can go back to school and we can all begin to rebuild our lives.
Join UNICEF’s critical mission
Help deliver vaccines, tests and treatment to protect health workers and people at high risk. Donate today.