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Covid-19 Pandemic

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 December 2021

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

Questions (102)

Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

102. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he has taken in 2021 and the steps he will take in 2022 to increase the number of Covid-19 vaccines for developing countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62117/21]

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Written answers

Ireland is committed to universal and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. This is essential for our health at home as well in low income countries where the impact of the pandemic is reversing hard won gains and deepening social and economic inequalities.

Currently just over 55% of the global adult population is vaccinated, but this falls to rates as low as 1.3% in some of the world's poorest countries. The COVAX Facility is working to accelerate the distribution of vaccines to low and middle-income countries to address this inequity, and so far, over 610 million doses have been distributed to 144 countries across the globe.

The WHO has set a global vaccination target of 70% by the middle of next year. My Department, with the Department of Health and the HSE, is working to help achieve this target. Recognizing the need for effective health systems if vaccination campaigns are to be successful, since the beginning of the pandemic at least €200 million in Irish Aid funding has been invested in improvements in global health, working with bilateral partners and at the global level, with the WHO, GAVI the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund. Ireland is currently on the board of the Global Fund, using this opportunity to ensure continued and effective focus on the need to strengthen health systems.

This year, Irish Aid has given €8.5 million in funding to the COVAX Facility to enable the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for low and middle-income countries. This week, the Government approved a decision to donate up to three million vaccines via the COVAX facility in the coming months. This is in addition to our on-going donation programme which so far has led to the gifting of 1.8 million vaccines. In September, Ireland donated 335,500 vaccine doses to Uganda, along with all of the necessary equipment to support immunisation. At the end of November close to 500,000 of doses were delivered to Nigeria, 122,000 doses were delivered to Indonesia on Saturday, 276,000 doses were delivered to Accra in Ghana on 14 December, and further deliveries to Indonesia, Egypt and other low and middle income countries are expected over the coming weeks.

Ireland’s contribution is part of a very significant Team Europe contribution to the pandemic response, collectively approaching €3.2 billion in contributions to COVAX alone. The recent increase in the volume of financial and dose donations, particularly by the EU and its Member States, will enable the acceleration of vaccine deliveries to low income countries in the coming months.

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