The people of Tipperary have funded the delivery of 55,000 Covid-19 vaccines to the world’s poorest countries during the pandemic.
That’s according to UNICEF Ireland, who say that 20,000 of that Tipp total was donated over the Christmas period alone.
The charity is leading the procurement and delivery of the vaccines, as part of the global COVAX initiative.
More than one billion doses have so far been delivered to over 140 countries since last March.
Ireland has funded the donation of three million vaccines so far.
Heralding the support of people in Tipperary, UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power said the issue of fair global access to vaccines had connected with people in Ireland:
“It has been a privilege to witness the generosity from people across Ireland. This Christmas we saw donations from every single county, including Tipperary, and they keep coming. It started out with a simple idea. When you get a vaccine, you can give one to people in some of the world’s poorest countries. The response has been incredible. People in Ireland understand that we are all in this together, and that there should be fair access to these life-saving vaccines. Ireland’s nationwide total for donations to UNICEF is now over three million vaccine deliveries. It is remarkable and we are so grateful.”
