ADB allocates $20.3 million to help members access COVID-19 vaccines
Manila, Nov 17 (efe-epa).- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Tuesday that it has allocated $20.3 million dollars in technical assistance so that developing member countries will be able to access COVID-19 vaccines and ensure their equitable distribution.
The funds will help members assess and strengthen vaccine cold chain and logistics, infection control, supply, healthcare personnel capabilities, risk communication and real-time data capturing and monitoring, announced the Manila-based ADB in a statement on Tuesday.
They will also “support vaccine-related health system assessments and the development of country readiness plans to strengthen the capacity to access, introduce, deploy, deliver, and monitor vaccines safely and effectively.”
“Asia and the Pacific has largely done well to limit the spread of COVID-19. Ensuring access to a safe, effective, and equitable vaccine is the next frontier in the fight against this virus,” said Woochong Um, director general of the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department of the ADB.
“With these additional grant resources, ADB can immediately support our developing members to undertake urgent actions, including vaccine system assessments and vaccine deployment strategies, to ensure vaccines are delivered efficiently and fairly.”
The ADB will implement the technical assistance to developing Asian countries together with its partners UNICEF, the World Health Organization, as well as Covax, Gavi, the World Bank and bilateral agencies.
The ADB, which was founded in 1966 with the aim of making Asia-Pacific a prosperous, inclusive, resilient and sustainable region and eradicating extreme poverty, is made up of 68 countries, 49 of them from the region. EFE-EPA
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