In midst of the burgeoning COVID-19 cases globally and increasing demand for vaccines by various central governments, the good news that is currently doing rounds is UNICEF’s decision of leading the procurement and supply process of coronavirus vaccines all across the globe.

Ever since the dreaded COVID-19 has taken pace across various big economies, people have been direly looking forward to vaccines, which could give them the assurance of safety from it. In light of this, UNICEF- world’s largest single vaccine buyer has announced that it would hold the procurement and supply operations at its end to ensure that all the countries have fast, safe, and impartial access to initial doses of the vaccine when they are brought to the global market.

As per credible reports, UNICEF in close collaboration with World Health Organization, PAHO, the Coalition for epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the World Bank, and Melinda Gates Foundation, amongst others, would lead from the front in the vaccine game via participating in COVAX Global Vaccines Facility; an initiative launched in April to accelerate the production of medicines to treat COVID-19 infection and make them feasible to the global population. It has been claimed that the PAHO and UN agency would supply these vaccines to over 92 low and lower middle income countries, while UNICEF would support purchases of 80 higher income economies, who have put forth the decision to finance the vaccines from their own budgets.

Speaking on the procurement and supply initiative and partnerships, the UNICEF Executive Director- Henrietta Fore- stated that this lead comes out to be an all-hands on deck partnership between manufacturers, multilateral partners, and the governments to continue the battle against coronavirus pandemic. She further added that the organization is looking forward to leveraging its robust strength in vaccine supply to ensure that countries are offered correct and fast access to the doses of the promising vaccines, once developed.

Speaking of the vaccine production, over 28 vaccine developers have shared their yearly production plans for these vaccines with UNICEF and it has been speculated that the drug makers were willing to massively produce unprecedented quantities of vaccines over the upcoming years.

Following the trend, vaccine procurement and distribution efforts, that involves over 170 countries, bears the potential to become world’s largest and fastest operation of its kind in the years to follow.

Source credit: https://kashmirobserver.net/2020/09/07/unicef-to-lead-global-procurement-supply-of-covid-19-vaccines/