Australia’s Support for Vaccine Rollout in the Pacific, Timor-Leste
Australia’s support for the COVID-19 vaccine roll out in the Pacific and Timor-Leste has today provided an initial delivery of 20,000 Australian-manufactured vaccines from our national stocks to TimorLeste.
“We have also sent further much-needed medical supplies to support TimorLeste’s COVID-19 response,” said a joint statement from Greg Hunt, Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care and Zed Seselja, Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
“This builds on the more than 56 tonnes of humanitarian, medical and PPE supplies delivered to Timor-Leste last month. Six Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) specialists are currently in Dili working to support local health authorities in their COVID-19 response.
“Also, 10,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will be delivered to our partners in Fiji this week, building on our earlier initial vaccine support to Papua New Guinea. “Australia will procure vaccine stocks, under a partnership agreement with UNICEF, of up to six million COVID-19 doses for the Pacific and Timor-Leste in 2021.
“This commitment is in addition to Australia’s AU$80 million (FJ$125.64 million) contribution to the multilateral COVAX Facility’s Advance Market Commitment for developing countries. “More than 275,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have already been delivered by COVAX to Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu and Nauru,” the ministers said.
“All vaccines provided by Australia meet internationally accepted standards of safety and efficacy.
“The health security of neighbours is critical to our near Australia’s health security and vaccines are critical to the region’s economic recovery. We are working closely with other partners, such as New Zealand, France, the United States and India to ensure comprehensive vaccination coverage across the Pacific.”