COVID-19 vaccines information centre
What you and your loved ones need to know
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As countries around the world get ready to receive COVID-19 vaccines and plan roll out campaigns to reach all eligible persons, the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation ever is underway – and UNICEF is leading it on behalf of the Global COVAX Facility.
UNICEF is working to ensure that all countries participating in the Facility (currently 190 including Sudan) have equitable access to 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021.
Relatedly, UNICEF is also leading the procurement and distribution of vaccines and supporting countries to roll out the vaccines.
The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and has been approved by World Health Organisation (WHO)
But there cannot be vaccination without syringes!
To ensure countries have all the supplies they need to kick off the COVID-19 vaccination drives whenever the COVID-19 vaccines arrive, they are beginning to receive syringes and safety boxes for the safe disposal of syringes.
Sudan is confirmed to receive 530,000 syringes and 5,300 Safety boxes of 5 litre capacity. The 0.5 ml syringes are auto-disable meaning they cannot be used again after a single dose of vaccine has been administered. This will reduce the risk of infection from blood-borne diseases as a result of syringe re-use.
“In this global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, syringes are as vital as the vaccine itself.” It is critical to have adequate supplies of syringes already in place in every country before the vaccine arrives so that the vaccine can be administered safely. This would allow immunization to start immediately and help turn the tide on this terrible virus,”
COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in Sudan
Sudan is a participant in the COVAX Facility and requested 17 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to cover 8.5 million people, representing 20 per cent of its population. These doses will arrive in two shipments - over 800,000 doses in March 2021 targeting health care workers and persons aged 45 and older with medical conditions and living in areas with high transmission or anticipated high transmission, across the country and the rest expected in the second quarter of 2021.
By vaccinating health workers first, we ensure that health care workers can get back to work so that children and their mothers get the critical health care they need - vaccinations, treatment of malnutrition and other deadly diseases such as malaria and diarrhea, as well as obstetric, prenatal and post-natal care along with services for newborns.
These are critical services without which millions of children’s lives are at stake given the widespread disruptions to essential services during lockdowns. We cannot let one disease lead to outbreaks of other diseases that could reverse years of progress in child health.
Sudan receives COVAX vaccines
COVID-19 vaccines arriving to Sudan’s cold chain
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign is launched
How UNICEF is helping
UNICEF is working closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that communities are reached with the right information to support optimal uptake of the vaccine as well as reduce vaccine hesitancy. The smooth vaccination campaign rollout will protect the population and control the spread of the disease.
