Freetown, Monday, 23rd May 2022 – The Government of Japan, through the COVAX Facility, has boosted the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive in Sierra Leone with a donation of 100,800 doses of AstraZeneca. This consignment of vaccines, which arrived in the country on 1st of May 2022, will complement the country’s vaccination drive, which started in March 2021 to protect people from falling seriously ill or dying from COVID-19.
To date, more than 1,575,783 people are now fully vaccinated, while 2,298,777 have received their first dose of the various Covid-19 vaccines. Over 1.8 million individuals have been reached so far through the monthly surge vaccination campaigns, which have been instrumental in bringing vaccination points closer to people. With this new consignment of Astra Zeneca vaccines from the US Government, more people in Sierra Leone will be able to access the vaccines through routine COVID-19 vaccination and the surge campaign exercises.
“This donation from the Government of Japan through the COVAX Facility is expected to further contribute to the Government of Sierra Leone’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to save lives by intensifying vaccination across the country. This is in accordance with the National Vaccine Deployment Plan and in support of Government’s goal of increasing the uptake of vaccination for the eligible population. We are appreciative of the support from the Government of Japan through the COVAX Facility” said Dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health, and Sanitation.
This donation of the Astra Zeneca vaccines is part of the Government of Japan’s global contribution to multilateral efforts established to address COVID-19 infections and to help end the pandemic. Through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Sierra Leone has also received support in COVID-19 vaccine deployment, including through the provision of 122 cold chain equipment to strengthen vaccine storage and ensuring that vaccines remain at the optimum temperatures at point and time of delivery.
Japan has been leading global efforts to manage the pandemic including promoting vaccine donation based on requests from the international community. This donation of Astra Zeneca Vaccines is one of such efforts.
“The donation is part of our efforts to meet a commitment announced by Prime Minister Kishida at the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021 to provide approximately 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to African countries to ensure equitable access to vaccine worldwide,” said Mr. MITORI Naoki, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission, for the Embassy of Japan to Sierra Leone. “Japan has also provided several supports to Sierra Leone including providing 122 cold chain equipment and logistics vital to the deployment of vaccines to support Sierra Leone’s Covid-19 recovery efforts.”
In addition to supporting countries with the purchase of vaccines, the COVAX Facility co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has been instrumental in supporting low-and-middle-income countries with the development of national vaccination plans, enhancement of cold chain infrastructure, and provision of logistical materials and medical supplies to facilitate smooth implementation of vaccination activities.
COVAX partners such as the Government of Japan, share their vaccines and help secure full funding for this global initiative to reach more people in need of protection across the globe.
The Astra Zeneca vaccine is one of seven vaccines which are approved for use by the WHO in protecting people against COVID-19. Two doses of the Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine have been found by health experts to be effective in providing adults with the required protection from severe COVID-19 illness or death.
“Ensuring that everyone gets the protection they need remains the best hope in ending the COVID-19 pandemic everywhere,” says Dr. Steven Shongwe, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone. “And, with the strong global multilateral partnership led by the COVAX Facility, and the continued direct support to resource constrained countries such as Sierra Leone, progress against the disease is achievable. However, concerted efforts at the national and local levels are strongly recommended to complement the global efforts in mitigating the risks and ending the disease”.
As a key COVAX partner, UNICEF is leading the procurement and supply of vaccines. Further to this logistics support, UNICEF continues to support the Government of Sierra Leone’s vaccine rollout exercise particularly in planning, cold chain management, demand generation, and capacity building of health workers in effective vaccine management.
“COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been an unprecedented initiative in its scale and reach, one of the largest undertakings that UNICEF has been involved in globally since last year. We heartily appreciate the strong partnership built among the Government, donors and other stakeholders behind this initiative,” said UNICEF Representative, Dr. Suleiman Braimoh. “It remains a focus of our work to ensure continuity in delivery of essential services to ensure the survival, growth and development of every child, even during this period of a pandemic.”
COVAX has built a diverse portfolio of vaccines suitable for a range of settings and populations and has delivered 240 million doses to 139 countries in just six months. Its goal of delivering at least 2 billion doses of vaccine to participating countries around the globe, including at least 1.3 billion donor-funded doses to the 92 lower-income COVAX Facility participants supported by the Gavi COVAX AMC, is expected to be reached in the first quarter of 2022. The United States is the largest contributor to COVAX.
Several health development partners including United Nations Agencies, Multilateral and bilateral organizations and donors, international and local non-governmental organizations, continue to provide technical support and needed resources in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in Sierra Leone.