United Nations:United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) could potentially transport up to 850 tonnes of Covid-19 vaccines per month in 2021, should such quantities become available, according to a new assessment published on Friday.
"This is a mammoth and historic undertaking," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. "The scale of the task is daunting, and the stakes have never been higher, but we are ready to take this on."
The UNICEF assessment looked at global airfreight capacity and transport routes to better understand the challenges of delivering Covid-19 vaccines in 2021. It found that commercial airlines will be able to deliver vaccines to almost all 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries, which are among the 190 economies participating in the COVAX Facility, at an estimated cost of up to $70 million, the Xinhua news agency reported.
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Comparing vaccine volume estimates against commercial and cargo routes across the globe, the assessment also found that current air cargo capacity would be sufficient to make deliveries covering 20 per cent of the population for most of the 92 countries. Covid-19 vaccines are expected to be primarily shipped using existing passenger and cargo flight capacity, although charters or alternative transport options may still be needed for some small countries and others with access issues.