UNICEF asking for speedy transport of medicines

The United Nations children's agency is launching an initiative to get airlines to give priority to delivering COVID-19 vaccines, medicine and other critical supplies to respond to the global pandemic.

UNICEF said on Tuesday that more than 10 airlines are signing agreements to support the priority delivery of coronavirus-related materials.

UNICEF said its Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative brings together airlines covering routes to over 100 countries, in support of the U.N.'s COVAX program to buy and deliver coronavirus vaccines for hundreds of millions of the world's poorest people.

Based on COVAX's initial first-round allocation plan, UNICEF said the plan calls for 145 countries to receive doses to immunise around 3 per cent of their populations, on average, starting in the first half of 2021.