Islanders asked to donate to global Covax scheme
ISLANDERS are being invited to donate to support Covid-19 vaccinations across the world.
The Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission is inviting islanders to support the UK Committee for UNICEF and Crowdfunder’s VaccinAid campaign, helping to deliver the biggest vaccine drive in history.
Last month the OA&DC confirmed it was donating £85,000 to Unicef’s Covid-19 Vaccines Appeal, which works to ensure equitable access to vaccines internationally.
This will fund the delivery costs of approximately 65,000 doses of the vaccine in low- and middle-income countries.
In a bid to get islanders involved with the vaccine drive, the OA&DC is encouraging donations to VaccinAid, which aims to raise funds for the Covid-19 Vaccines Appeal.
The money raised will be used by Unicef – the only organisation present in all countries participating in Covax and which has an established global supply chain network.
Unicef also has the ability to work on a large scale, which has enabled better terms and reduced costs for two billion vaccines.
VaccinAid is able to monitor the donations it receives specifically from the Bailiwick, so islanders will be able to see and quantify the level of community support provided to the appeal.
OA&DC president Chris Blin said this would be a simple way for islanders to make donations to VaccinAid.
‘Our vaccine roll-out in the Bailiwick is moving forward very quickly and we’re seeing the benefits of that already,’ he said.
‘Supporting the distribution of vaccines world-wide through Unicef is not just about doing our bit for the global community, it’s a key part of the wider fight against Covid-19.
‘By helping more countries protect their citizens, we help bring down the prevalence of the virus overall and we help avoid more outbreaks which lead to new variants including those dubbed “variants of concern”.
‘If you can, please take some time to have a look on the new fundraising page and consider making a donation to this very worthy initiative.’
Islanders who wish to support the campaign are being encouraged to make their donation at vaccinaid.org/guernsey.
