Forum Topic

Helping to vaccinate the world

Unicef needs money to vaccinate the world's poorest nations against Covid-19.If you've had your free jab on the NHS and can afford to, you can donate here:https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/coronavirus/(Website is a bit slow; you may need to be patient).

Susan Kelly ● 2090d29 Comments

Susan, Sounds a great idea. I'll give it a couple of hours before donating, just in case someone says it's a really bad idea.

Stephen Gould ● 2090d

Thank you Susan, such a great idea!

Mari Austin ● 2090d

Great idea

Philippa Bond ● 2090d

A lot of time, money and effort also needs to be put into persuading the (quite a large number) of people in this country who won't agree to have a vaccination. No vaccine is 100% successful and until we are all vaccinated there is still a not inconsiderable risk, even among those who have been vaccinated,  of catching this virus, particularly as it continues to mutate,  from those who have refused to have the vaccine, and of course we won't know who they are.

Claire Moran ● 2090d

Remember: we're not safe until the whole world is safe.

Susan Kelly ● 2089d

I have just donated. We are all into this together so it's definitely a pleasure to support those countries needing help to vaccinate their people.

Anthony Tan ● 2089d

My guess is that governments will contribute massively in terms of vaccines and money, the world needs it.

Jayne Thorburn ● 2089d

That doesn't mean that we shouldn't cntribute.

Philippa Bond ● 2089d

I have already contributed massively so don’t make assumptions

Jayne Thorburn ● 2089d

Would be great if we teachers were offered the vaccination before being forced back to school .....

Madeleine Hazard ● 2089d

It would be common sense to protect teachers. Now the question about Astra Zeneca and the over 65's. Germany France Austria and more ban it for the over 65's. Look at the number of over 65's in the Pfizer trial compared to the Astra Zeneca trial, why?

Nicholas Beard ● 2089d

We will have many more vaccines than we need and I believe that the plan is to give the surplus away. It looks as if Unicef's role will largely be logistics. Getting the drugs to remote areas, providing refrigeration on the way and training people to administer the jabs will be a large and crucial part of it.

Susan Kelly ● 2089d

That’s my understanding too Susan and I am sure as things calm down productions ramps up, plus more vaccines come online the challenge will be logistics and convincing people about the importance of having it!  By not having the vaccine allows covid to continue and mutate.

Jayne Thorburn ● 2089d

Like so many charities Unicef refers to third party middle-companies to operate the receiving of Unicef donations. 5% or thereabouts is syphoned off to pay salaries and overheads to the donations operators. Puts me off giving to charities knowing they're formed like multinational or limited companies.

Bobbie Carnegie ● 2089d

If this is a more efficient way of receiving money, I have no objection to it. What I objected to were the people soliciting funds on chuggers' alley, whose employers pocketed the first 12 months of direct debit payments. Let's hope we see no more of this after the pandemic is over.

Robert Fish ● 2089d

Somebody has to do the administration. It could be cheaper this way than training up workers themselves. There surely would not be enough volunteers: people choose to give money if they don’t have the time.

Vivienne Cox ● 2089d

My guess is that when it comes to covid all the agencies/ governments etc will get together as it has such a massive impact on the whole world, they will find the money from our higher taxes......

Jayne Thorburn ● 2088d

Wasn't it just that the AZ trial was largely on health care professionals who volunteered - so there were fewer older people. But that trial did do second doses at all intervals up to 12 weeks.Whereas Pfizer only did three week gap. Hence the lack of confidence about the longer gap for Pfizer.

Sara Nathan ● 2088d

Hasn't AZ already said that it will be making its vaccine available to the third world at cost price? Unlike the other companies. I think that was part of the deal with Oxford University.

Sara Nathan ● 2088d

Yes that is correct, hopefully the others will follow making profit from the vaccine to third world countries is pretty distasteful. Great deal the government struck with AZ

Jayne Thorburn ● 2088d

Well the UK invested 84m in Astrazeneca last May,a rare but welcome act of foresight.

Ben Gemmingen ● 2088d

Well South Africa has stopped roll out! Big question marks.

Nicholas Beard ● 2088d

You're a real ray of sunshine. It may not have been trialled with many over-65s, it may be much less effective against the South African variant, but if it stops death or hospitalisation it's good enough for me.

Robert Fish ● 2088d

Most importantly the AZ protects against the UK variant, let’s pray the SA variant doesn’t take hold here, just another reason to stick to the guidelines the more we all do the faster we will get life back to some form of normality. So if you are breaking the guidelines think again as everyone’s behaviour has a massive impact on wider society.

Jayne Thorburn ● 2088d

SAv is already here and it sadly will take hold going by pathetic, tardy, halfhearted actions of Tory government - not to mention the Labour opposition being wholly wet in not pressing forcefully enough counter measures needed for tackling the pandemic.

Bobbie Carnegie ● 2087d

Headlines -- be they in newspapers or TV/radio news -- are designed as 'clickbait' to get you to buy the paper or stay listening to the news report. They distort and scare-monger. Read the whole story or listen to the whole report before fretting.

Susan Kelly ● 2087d

There have been petitions to Govt re teachers many of whom have been working throughout the pandemic teaching the children of keyworkers and other special groups getting the vaccine.  I am told that many more children have now returned to schools now than at the beginning of the pandemic.  Many parents will have discovered that it isn't that easy to homeschool and work from home at the same time especially in winter!There are others who also appear to have been missed off the priority listHere is the debate in Parliament following one of them:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCVSCSm7N6o

Philippa Bond ● 2086d

I see that an Ayatollah has told his followers that the vaccine will make them gay.Imagine the post-lockdown party all those suddenly gay septuagenarians and octogenarians will be throwing.Seriously, this is the sort of thing the international aid agencies are up against.

Susan Kelly ● 2086d

As JVT says get any information about vaccines from a reliable source which is NOT the press. BAME community really need to listen to trusted medical information and get the vaccine to save their own life, loved ones and join in the collective effort to stop the spread of the virus.

Jayne Thorburn ● 2086d