COVAX doses set for June
THE next batch of vaccines under the COVAX Facility headed by the United Nations through the World Health Organization and UNICEF could arrive by June this year.
United Nations Resident co-ordinator Sanaka Samarasinha said the COVAX Facility’s commitment to assisting developing nations would ensure that supply covered 20 per cent of each country’s population.
“We are cautiously optimistic that the next batches of the COVAX Facility vaccines would be here in Fiji and in the Pacific,” he said.
“This is made possible through the support of UNICEF and WHO, with funding from so many partners like the UK, the EU, Australia and the US and Japan and many others.
“Our hope is that within a matter of some weeks and not months we will be able to obtain, procure and transport all of the COVAX vaccines for the Pacific.
“Now is it a certainty? No. Is it likely? Yes, but that still will only get you 20 per cent.”
Mr Samarasinha said while the Fijian Government would need more of the vaccines to ensure a majority of the country was vaccinated, the WHO had assisted in issuing a guideline for Fiji’s vaccination program.
“Clearly we will need more but the prioritisation of who is going to get vaccinated is up to individual governments.
“For Fiji, it largely followed the WHO prioritisation guidelines in how they choose who gets vaccinated with the vaccines that they have available to them.”