KIND-hearted Limerick people donated more than 25,000 Covid vaccines to the world’s poorest countries over the Christmas period.
The festive surge brought the total number of vaccines donated to UNICEF Ireland’s ‘Get a Vaccine, Give a Vaccine’ campaign to 85,000 from Limerick city and county.
UNICEF Ireland Executive Director and former Limerick Fianna Fáil TD 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 Limerick, 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,” he said.
UNICEF is leading the procurement and delivery of life-saving Covid vaccines, as part of the global COVAX initiative. Since last March, UNICEF has delivered more than a billion vaccine doses to over 140 countries.
“Our aim for 2022 is to reach three billion vaccines. That’s why we asked people in Limerick to help us make a difference this Christmas, and why we are now encouraging everyone to stay with us on this historic mission to end the pandemic and ensure everyone, everywhere is vaccinated against Covid,” said Mr Power.
Individuals and companies in Limerick are being urged to continue their support for the UNICEF campaign by donating at www.unicef.ie
