Today the UK Government announced it was sharing the first batch of COVID19 vaccines, which were committed at the G7, via COVAX.

Romilly Greenhill, UK Director at The ONE Campaign, said

“It’s encouraging to finally see these life-saving doses from the UK go to the countries where they are needed most – but we need to go much further, much faster if we are going to end this global pandemic. Sadly, we are still only scratching at the surface of this crisis, leaving millions of people dangerously exposed to a pandemic that is very far from over.

“Many of the world’s poorest countries are now in the grip of a deadly third wave of the virus. Without the protection of vaccines – even for health workers and the most vulnerable – this puts thousands of lives at risk and threatens to overwhelm health systems. Britain and its international partners must work faster to ensure the whole world is protected. That starts by sharing doses now to help stem surges in the virus – but is also going to need much greater investment to accelerate the production and delivery of vaccines around the world, enabling every country to protect their citizens.

“Ensuring that all countries have access to these vaccines isn’t just the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do – as long as the virus is unchecked anywhere, we run the risk of new strains emerging that could undermine the global recovery and endanger people here in the UK and around the world.”