Emirates News Agency – HOPE Alliance supports UNICEF and COVAX by transporting bio-cold freezers to Africa

ABU DHABI, December 28, 2021 (WAM) – Following the multilateral in-kind contribution of the United Arab Emirates and its commitment to UNICEF to support COVAX in its global vaccine distribution efforts, the HOPE Consortium and UNICEF have entered into an agreement to support the delivery of 65 ultra-dose doses. Freezers to Africa. Freezers are needed for COVID-19 vaccines that require very cold storage and to allow African countries to efficiently absorb supplies of newly incoming vaccines donated from the USA.

The delivery is a testament to the HOPE Consortium’s commitment to contributing to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Facilitated by HOPE Consortium partners and other logistics providers, the shipment will reach 21 African countries, including Benin, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Eswatini, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania Niger, Sao Tome and Zambia.

Sultan Muhammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs, said that the UAE remains committed to doing our part in mitigating the effects of the pandemic by helping countries overcome logistical and technical challenges associated with delivering large quantities. Large-scale vaccination programmes. Our partnership with UNICEF plays a vital role in helping implement an effective global response to COVID-19, particularly in Africa. We are proud to support international efforts such as COVAX by dedicating the unique services of the HOPE Consortium. ”

“These deliveries of ultra-cold freezers represent an important step towards equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. This critical infrastructure will increase the ability of African countries to expand the spread of a COVID-19 vaccine and will also support vaccine management,” said Etleva Kadele, Director of UNICEF’s Division of Supply. Others that may require ultra-cold storage temperatures. UNICEF is pleased to work with partners such as the HOPE Consortium to support governments in strengthening health systems to respond to COVID-19 and beyond, making them resilient for the future.”

The HOPE Consortium, with its partners, has developed one of the most comprehensive vaccine supply chains, capable of delivering millions of vaccines from point of production to point of immunization in support of its global efforts to combat the pandemic. In addition, it has developed a Vaccine Center in Abu Dhabi that can accommodate more than 120 million vaccines at temperatures between +8°C and -30°C simultaneously and houses the largest “frozen farm” in the UAE, which can store more of 11 million vaccines. Doses requiring extremely cold temperatures of -70°C. This is one of the key areas of expertise in which the HOPE Consortium brings together global leaders in logistics, technology and supply chains.

Translated by: Hussein Abu Ela.

https://wam.ae/it/dettagli/1395303006699