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IRISH PEOPLE HAVE donated more than one million Covid-19 vaccines to people in some of the world’s poorest countries.
The ‘Get a Vaccine, Give a Vaccine’ campaign has raised more than €2.5 million since it was launched earlier this summer.
The appeal urges people getting vaccinated in Ireland to give a vaccine to people in poorer nations.
As a result of the campaign, one million vaccine doses will now be delivered to healthcare workers and vulnerable people in countries with little or no access to vaccines.
Around €4.48 allows UNICEF to deliver two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine to someone in a country facing a humanitarian crisis.
Peter Power, the executive director of UNICEF Ireland, says the response from people across Ireland has been inspiring.
“We have been simply blown away by the incredible gratitude and solidarity for others that people in Ireland have shown.
We have never witnessed anything like it before.
“We all know that nobody is safe until everyone is safe, and that no child is safe, until everyone they rely on is safe,” he said.
Power added that it is “astonishing” that some countries have vaccination rates of less than 5%, while the wealthiest nations have vaccinated the vast majority of their populations.
“By supporting this campaign in huge numbers Irish people have recognised that inequity and have taken this tangible expression of solidarity with people who have no access to vaccines,” he said.
The support in Ireland for the campaign is helping UNICEF to lead the largest-ever vaccine procurement and supply operation as part of the global COVAX programme.
COVAX has delivered over 175 million doses to 138 countries since March. It aims to secure enough vaccines this year for the most vulnerable 20% in every country, rich or poor.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation called for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September.
The move aims to enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated.
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Horrendous act of pure evil. With guns available so readily any person with a grievance or psychotic motive can commit a mass murder at any time, anywhere.
5th a mass KILLING this year alone, it’s 23 January. That’s a mass shooting every 4 days or so.
There’s actually been 33 Mass Shootings in January – That’s almost 1.5 mass shootings per day!
Any other country experiences a mass shooting and the next day they are putting into place stricter gun controls. Not America, they want to put guns in everyones hands to protect others against a mass shooter… what a weird way of thinking…
‘Murica.
@Rafa Condron: they live in different world over there.
So sad to think of all the needless deaths and suffering. I am not sure that gun control would even be enough – but it might be a start. However, something in the US physic seems to create an element of self entitlement which manifests in many ways and not just in mass shootings. Still we hope and pray.
National Rifle Association – I hope you’re happy. As long as you resist reasonable legislation to curb gun control, these events will continue.
No doubt more weapons would sort out this type of problem, maybe even a few tanks. Yeah, let them have tanks. Freeeedoom!
There are more guns than people in the US. Literally.
@Bert Carolan: I can’t remember the exact statistic, but it would take an incredible amount of time to decommission all the guns owned in America. I think it was beyond decades and into hundreds of years. The logistics that would be involved are staggering.
The article states this is the fifth mass shooting of 2023. However, according to CNN who reference Gun Violence Archive this is in fact number 33.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/01/23/politics/mass-shootings-in-2023-what-matters/index.html
@Steve: 5th mass killing. There have been of course 33 mass shootings as I said in the comments already.
Not a bit surprised. It’s the norm in Amercia to go around shooting people.
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