GENEVA – The Red Cross today warned of a glaring gap in the plans to roll out Covid-19 vaccines around the world, saying remote communities risked missing out.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is aiming to help vaccinate 500 million people against the disease.
The IFRC, which calls itself the world’s largest humanitarian network, is planning to throw its expertise into the distribution and acceptance of vaccines among some of the hardest-to-reach communities.
But it said while the procurement of vaccines and delivery to airport hubs are crucial, “too little thought” has been given to the next step – how those doses will be distributed within countries, including the “last mile” in getting to those furthest away.
The Geneva-based federation said it needs 100 million Swiss francs (RM444 million) to fill the logistics gap between vaccines reaching airports in capital cities, and remote settlements.
But so far the IFRC has raised only 3% of that figure.
“Without this funding, a gap will remain between the vaccines that will ultimately end this pandemic, and some of the most vulnerable and isolated people in the world,” said its president Francesco Rocca.
“Such a gap means that the virus will continue to circulate and mutate, and that people will continue to get sick and die.”
The IFRC is planning to bolster national vaccination efforts, including supporting logistics and countering misinformation about vaccine efficacy. – AFP, March 10, 2021
