Supporting the most vulnerable and making COVID-19 vaccines accessible to all

United Nations country teams around the world continue to provide medical, logistical and socio-economic support to local authorities, coordinating resources to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Through stronger coordination, these teams are mobilising local, regional, and global partners to provide life-saving medical supplies to vulnerable communities, combat misinformation on vaccine efficacy, and ensure equitable distribution of vaccine through the COVAX programme.

Albania

The World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations team continued supporting risk communications initiatives to boost vaccination and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The International Labour Organization (ILO) is supporting women who have been impacted by the crisis,  especially among the most vulnerable gorups, providing immediate cash assistance to women who lost their jobs in the textile industry using funds from Sweden. More than 250 women above 50 years of age, who are also facing difficulties to reenter the labour market received support. For its part, UNICEF has also been supporting continued learning through an online platform tailored for the most vulnerable children, including those affected by earthquake, and those with disabilities. So far 350,000 children and teachers are registered to use the platform, with 200,000 virtual classes in place. Also, the UN Refugee Agency provides regular services, including food distribution at border reception facilities, COVID-19 case management and counselling to refugees, asylum seekers and those at risk of statelessness.

Azerbaijan

The United Nations team has been supporting the national vaccination drive while providing technical advice to health authorities, boosting risk communication and supporting procurement logistics including through COVAX. As part of an initiative funded by the European Union, the World Health Organization (WHO) has trained doctors on special interventions for COVID-19 patients, also preventing infections and increasing quality control in 10 healthcare facilities across the country. For its part, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has distributed emergency cash and 2,000 parcels of food to nearly 400 households of refugee and asylum seekers, while the International Organization for Migration has provided 400 migrants with lifesaving support, including food, accommodation, hygiene supplies and medical assistance. Also, through an initiative supported by the United States (USAID), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has distributed nearly 23,000 medical gloves, 50,000 masks, 5,000 respirators and other critical material to ensure the safety of health workers and patients.

Bhutan

In Bhutan, a country that has been a lighthouse for the rest of the world in terms of its vaccination roll-out, the United Nations team supported national efforts to vaccinate the entire eligible population of more than 1.5 million people over one week, with 30 per cent of the population vaccinated within the first two days. The UN was fully supportive of Bhutan's equitable approach to the vaccination programme, which was made available to every eligible resident, citizen or foreigner. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) supported authorities’ preparation and submission of an application for vaccine and cold chain equipment to the COVAX Facility, procured cold chain equipment, trained health workers and provided technical assistance for the effective management of cold chain equipment and vaccine handling. UNICEF in partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), also helped develop the national vaccine deployment and operationalization plan, and an online application for registering, recording and reporting of vaccinations, also monitoring people’s wellbeing after receiving their vaccines. For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) supported authorities to advocate and raise awareness on the importance of vaccinations, delivered a nation-wide campaign explaining how vaccines work, partnered with the media on misinformation and fake news, also with community engagement programmes to advocate for COVID-19 safety measures and vaccine acceptance. WHO also regularly published and shared guidelines on the evolving situation of COVID-19 transmission across the globe with health authorities.

Brazil

In Brazil, our United Nations team continues supporting national and local authorities to address the multiple impacts of the pandemic, particularly in the Amazon region. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) conducted a 10-day training on malaria and prevention of COVID-19 for indigenous health workers from the Yanomami community in the northern state of Amazonas. In the state capital Manaus, one of the cities most affected by the pandemic, the IOM team continues working with authorities to provide health care to indigenous and riverside communities, benefiting about 150 people. Nearly 1,500 personal hygiene kits and 120 household cleaning kits have also been delivered in the past two weeks. Also, IOM provided medical care to 200 refugees, migrants, and the host community in the past 15 days. With support from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), a Young Indigenous Communicators Network in the Amazon region launched a podcast series "Amazon Indigenous Voices" on Spotify. They produced six episodes addressing vulnerabilities of indigenous peoples during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency and UNICEF are working with local authorities in the northern state of Pará, establishing a Committee of Reception and Assistance to Warao people. This committee is composed of indigenous peoples leaders, authorities UNHCR and UNICEF as well as members of the judiciary, universities and civil society. This is an opportunity to address the needs of indigenous peoples, including relocation where needed.  

Lao P.D.R.

In Lao People’s Democratic Republic, our United Nations team continues to support the national COVID-19 prevention and vaccination campaigns. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are helping authorities boost communications with local communities, including through social media, livestreamed events as well engagements with journalists across the country. A campaign for safe behavior during the pandemic has reached millions of people so far. For its part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized a campaign on safe migration and COVID-19 prevention across five bus routes for four months, directly reaching 200,000 people. With support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) a tailored campaign for the garment industry – a key sector for the country’s economy – is helping keep workers safe from COVID-19, while protecting jobs across micro, small, and medium-sized businesses.

India

In addition to supporting national and local authorities on the health front, our United Nations team in India is boosting partnerships across the country to fight the battle against misinformation. As part of this strategy, the team’s digital platforms promoted the Secretary-General’s "Only Together" campaign, earning 65 million impressions and over 17 million reach. For its part, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) continued to support authorities with the national vaccination strategy, also translating lifesaving messages in over 10 languages and intensifying community engagement and social mobilisation across 16 states. Tailored, local-level campaigns have reached more than 21 million people in both rural and urban settings. These include myth-busting campaigns, with outdoor and local outreach with a growing network of volunteers. Close to 650,000 frontline workers have been trained in 16 states on key messages and vaccine communication. The UN team is also engaging community radio associations across the country, broadcasting messages of COVID-19 prevention and vaccination to reach over 17 million people in rural areas. Additionally, UNICEF celebrity supporter Ricky Kej has composed a song in English and Hindi to support the efforts against COVID-19. In just two days this pro-bono video has reached more than 160 million people. Big tech giants are helping boost these messages across the country at no cost.

On supporting authorities and communities to tackle the multiple impacts of the pandemic, including its massive effects on livelihoods, UN entities have been training health workers, with 10,000 nurses boosting skills through UN Women initiatives. Our team also partnered with employers’ and workers’ organizations to cushion the impacts of COVID-19, promoting jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities and advocating for social justice. Eleven helpdesks and on-site counselling activities on COVID-19 prevention and business continuity, set up by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and  the International Labour Organization (ILO) with industry associations benefitted over 140,000 employees engaged in over 9000 formal and informal medium and small companies. UNIDO developed an online platform to help companies bounce back from the crisis, tailored to smaller businesses, while ILO outreach activities helped over 100,000 self-employed workers to access social security measures and training on safety and health through unions. Other UN team initiatives are focusing on getting jobs for 10 million young people. Over 13,000 women and youth, including returnee migrants, are being trained through entrepreneurship programmes led by UN Women and ILO.  And a web-portal from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) to boost e-commerce has benefitted 950 women entrepreneurs in small and medium businesses.

Mongolia

And in Mongolia, the UN team led by the Resident Coordinator continues to support national vaccination efforts. Since March, Mongolia has received nearly 65,000 doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford and almost 26,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines via the COVAX facility to contribute to the immunisation of up to 20 per cent of the country’s 3.2 million inhabitants. The country has successfully inoculated over 740,00 people with the first dose of the vaccines and over 200,00 with the second dose of the vaccines, which are 35% and 12.5% of the adult population targeted to be vaccinated respectively. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been technically, financially and logistically supporting the Government to prepare for the COVID-19 immunization campaign. UNICEF, in cooperation with the World Bank, is supporting the construction of a new central facility for vaccine storage. The Government of Japan is providing financial support of over US $21.5 million via UNICEF in the form of two projects as part of the health system strengthening support to ensure universal health coverage in Mongolia. WHO is working with the authorities to boost the national vaccine deployment plan at national and sub-national levels providing technical guidance and organizing capacity building training for health care workers and vaccinators. Additionally, UNICEF is boosting community engagement and social mobilization to increase acceptance for vaccines.

COVAX

The second shipment of over 40,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Albania on 17 April, part of a total 120,000 doses the country will receive via COVAX. As part of the national vaccination campaign that kicked off in January, over 430,000 people have been vaccinated, with Albania scheduled to receive enough doses to cover 20% of its population by the end 2021 through COVAX.

Bolivia received its second COVAX-backed shipment with over 92,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccines through a joint work between the government and the UN, including the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This brings the total number of COVAX-backed doses to over 320,000, supporting the national vaccination scheme with priority given to at-risk groups, including health workers, older adults and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Over 3.9 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in Brazil via COVAX, in line with the UN’s on-going support to national and local authorities. This second batch of vaccines complements the arrival of another 1 million vaccines received in March, also via COVAX, with the World Health Organization (WHO)'s global headquarters and regional office in the Americas, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners playing a key role.

In Cameroon, authorities received over 390,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to support the national vaccination campaign that had already kicked off with other vaccines purchased through agreements with other countries. The COVAX shipments will target 20 percent of the total population, focusing on vulnerable groups. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) are working with authorities to train health personnel on the logistical aspect of the campaign, as well as providing guidance on the importance of being vaccinated. 

Coinciding with vaccination week in the Americas, Colombia received its second COVAX-backed shipment of 912,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to support the on-going national vaccination campaign, with over 4.3 million doses administered so far.  UN senior officials reiterated confidence in the quality and safety of the vaccines received, as approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the national regulatory authority.

And the Democratic Republic of Congo also kicked its vaccination campaign backed by COVAX, starting off with high priority groups. The country received over 1.7 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, with the UN team supporting authorities with the vaccination efforts and to address the wider impacts of the pandemic.

In the Pacific, Fiji received its second batch of 24,000 COVAX-backed AstraZeneca vaccines, with more doses on the way to support the national vaccination scheme. National vaccination initiatives across the Pacific are backed by our UN teams on the ground, with the COVAX programme led by UNICEF, WHO and partners working with local health authorities.

Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau received 28,800 doses of the COVAX-backed AstraZeneca vaccines, complementing bilateral agreements via the African Union. This COVAX-backed shipment will protect the most vulnerable, including health care workers on the front lines in the fight against this pandemic in the country. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have helped authorities prepare for the vaccine deployment, including training health professionals and carrying out communications campaigns.

Also in Latin America and the Caribbean, Ecuador, Jamaica, Paraguay have received their second batches of  Astra Zeneca vaccines through COVAX. Jamaica received over 55,000 doses, Paraguay more than 130,000 doses and Ecuador 330,000. For its part, Mexico received more than 1 million COVAX-backed AstraZeneca vaccines to support its national vaccination campaign.

Jordan received a second shipment of over 140,400 doses of COVAX-backed AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, raising the total number of vaccines received through COVAX to over 290,000.  To support vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugees, the European Union is providing more than US $9.6 million for the acquisition of COVAX-backed vaccines through an initiative with the World Health Organization.

Moving to Mauritania, the country received nearly 70,000 doses of COVAX-backed AstraZeneca vaccines for priority groups, including people over the age of 75, those who are chronically ill, health care workers and border control officials. These and other upcoming COVAX-backed vaccines aim to immunize 20 percent of the population, with support from the United Nations team.

With the key role of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Moldova has received a third lot of 48,000 vaccine doses through COVAX, bringing the total doses the country received to nearly 87,000. These vaccines will be administered to high-risk individuals, including senior citizens, teachers, and front-line workers. After the sixth week of the vaccination campaign and as more than 100,000 people have received their first jab, the number of COVID-19 infections among medical staff plunged 75 per cent.

Mongolia also received over 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, its third delivery through the COVAX facility will help scale up the vaccine rollout and bring us closer to vaccine equity while Namibia received 24,000 doses of the COVAX-backed AstraZeneca vaccine. The government in Namibia rolled out the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, targeting people aged 65 years and older, and other at-risk groups.

Samoa kicked of its vaccination campaign, with the Prime Minister taking the first jab of COVAX-backed AstraZeneca vaccine. The country received 24,000 AstraZeneca doses via COVAX and while there are no registered cases of COVID-19, vaccinating the population, including at-risk members of the community, is a priority to protect the population and a key stepping stone for the country’s social and economic recovery.

A batch of more than 256,000 doses of the COVAX-backed Astra Zeneca vaccines arrived in Syria for health workers in the northeast and northwestern regions of the country. As the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners are providing technical assistance to local authorities to launch the national vaccination campaign, these COVAX-backed vaccine shipments aim to protect vulnerable members of the community, which accounts for 20 per cent of the population, by the end of 2021.

Several other countries received COVAX-backed vaccines. Cameroon, El Salvador, Panama and Ukraine received their first batches of COVID-19 vaccines, while Argentina, the State of Palestine and Peru received their second tranche of vaccines to support authorities to focus on health workers, older adults and other at-risk groups. The second consignment of COVAX-backed vaccines for Palestine consist of 28,800 doses for the Gaza strip and 43,200 doses for the West Bank, focusing on priority groups. More doses are on the way.
 
Ukraine received its first allotment of COVAX vaccines, with 117,00 Pfizer doses received free of charge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). These will primarily be used for vaccination of staff and residents of nursing homes, followed by employees of the State Emergency Service and border guards. UNICEF also delivered some 140,000 syringes and over 1,300 safety boxes for their disposal, also under COVAX.
 
And according to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), over 96,000 AstraZeneca vaccines for the most at-risk groups arrived in El Salvador, nearly 280,000 in Peru, over 860,000 in Argentina and 36,000 in Panama.