Support for Cold Chain System Building in response to COVID-19 pandemic in India
On June 25, the Government of Japan decided to utilize its Emergency Grant Aid scheme to provide cold chain equipment and related assistance amounting to approximately 9.3 million US dollars to India to assist in its fight against the impact of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
- This assistance will provide India with cold chain equipment including medical equipment such as cold-storage facilities, as “Last One Mile Support” to ensure vaccination in each country, through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
- In order to contain COVID-19, ensuring equitable access to vaccines including in developing countries and accelerating vaccination is the common challenge for the international community. Japan has led operationalization of the COVAX Facility as an international mechanism for the procurement of vaccines, and recently announced 800 million US dollars of financial contribution in addition to existing 200 million US dollars. Japan’s Emergency Grant Aid this time aims to deliver vaccines to each and every person in the all corners of developing countries, which will complement efforts of the COVAX Facility.
- Based on its experience in helping to build medical supply networks that reach every corner of developing countries, Japan will continue to extend support to deploy vaccines to every person in the world with a view to containing COVID-19 as quickly as possible.