The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNICEF
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: COVID-19 Backlog in Vaccine Shipments - UNICEF
UNICEF calls for support to unblock massive backlog in vaccine shipments
UNICEF is calling for support to unblock a massive backlog in vaccine shipments due to unprecedented logistical constraints related to COVID-19 lockdowns in some countries.
Speaking at a virtual press conference at the UN in Geneva, UNICEF’s spokesperson Marixie Mercado said that “as of today (May 1), dozens of countries are at risk of stock-out due to delayed vaccine shipments”. She added that “at most risk are 26 countries that are difficult to reach due to limited commercial and cargo options. Among these, at least five countries experienced measles outbreaks in 2019 and many more remain at risk”.
Since the week of March 22, UNICEF has seen a 70-80 per cent reduction of planned vaccine shipments due to the dramatic decline in commercial flights and limited availability of charters.
Compounding the challenge is the exorbitant cost of securing flights, with freight rates at 100-200 percent above normal and charter flights even more costly. “Countries with limited resources will struggle to pay these higher prices, leaving children vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio”, UNICEF’s spokesperson said.
In 2019, UNICEF procured 2.43 billion doses of vaccines for 100 countries, to reach approximately 45 per cent of all children below the age of five years.
UNICEF estimates that 20 million children below the age of one every year were dropping out of their measles and polio vaccines even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNICEF’s spokesperson warned that “disruptions in routine immunization, particularly in countries with weak health systems, could lead to disastrous outbreaks in 2020 and well beyond”.
The biggest part of vaccines currently not reaching countries, are intended for routine immunization programmes. Because of the delay, countries have been using buffer stocks. As transport challenges persist, countries are at increasing risk of a vaccine stock-out.
“The extended delays in shipments also pose a huge risk to manufacturers, who must store the excess vaccine stocks, and may be required to postpone future production if their warehouse storage space is exceeded”, Ms Mercado said.
UNICEF has been working with manufacturers and partners, including WHO, the vaccine alliance GAVI, PAHO and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to find solutions. However, many countries will require additional funding support.
“We are appealing to governments, the private sector, the airline industry, and others, to free up freight space at affordable cost for these life-saving vaccines and to work with us to find ways around the transport disruptions we face. Children’s lives are at stake”, said UNICEF’s spokesperson.
1. Wide shot: exterior, Place des Nations, Geneva
2. SOUNDBITE (EN) – Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Spokesperson: “As of today (May 1), dozens of countries are at risk of stock-out due to delayed vaccine shipments. At most risk are 26 countries that are difficult to reach due to limited commercial and cargo options. Among these, at least five countries experienced measles outbreaks in 2019 and many more remain at risk”.
3. Medium shot: United Nations, Geneva with flag alley
4. SOUNDBITE (EN) Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Spokesperson: “Countries with limited resources will struggle to pay these higher prices, leaving children vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio”.
5. Wide shot: UN Geneva with flag alley
6. SOUNDBITE (EN) Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Spokesperson: “Disruptions in routine immunization, particularly in countries with weak health systems, could lead to disastrous outbreaks in 2020 and well beyond”.
7. Medium shot: UN Geneva with flag alley
8. SOUNDBITE (EN) Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Spokesperson: “The extended delays in shipments also pose a huge risk to manufacturers, who must store the excess vaccine stocks, and may be required to postpone future production if their warehouse storage space is exceeded.”
9. Wide shot: Flags in front of UN Geneva
10. SOUNDBITE (EN) Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Spokesperson: “UNICEF is appealing to governments, the private sector, the airline industry, and others, to free up freight space at affordable cost for these life-saving vaccines. And to work with us to find ways around the transport disruptions we face. Children’s lives are at stake”.
11. Medium shot, UN flag at UN, Geneva.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
Navi Pillay Retires After Decades Defending Human Rights and Pursuing Justice
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.