Australia donates 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to developing countries

Australia will provide a total of 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries by the end of 2022, of which over 17.5 million doses have already been transferred to Pacific and Southeast Asian nations.

A vaccination centre in Australia (Photo: Reuters)
A vaccination centre in Australia (Photo: Reuters)

Most recently, the country provided 2.35 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Cambodia, through an initiative with UNICEF, marking the first time that Canberra has donated COVID-19 vaccines to the Southeast Asian country.

To date, Indonesia is the largest recipient of COVID-19 vaccines from Australia, with 5.69 million doses, followed by Vietnam with 5.16 million doses and Cambodia with 2.35 million doses.

Laos and Fiji each received over 1 million doses, while Timor Leste received 777,850 doses.

Among more than 17.5 million doses donated to regional countries, 12.93 million were manufactured in Australia, while 4.63 million were provided through cooperation with UNICEF.

Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja said the country not only donates vaccines, but also provides training for healthcare workers, syringes and cold storage, while making logistical and communication plans for neighbouring countries.

Australia also contributed 130 million AUD (91 million USD) to the COVAX Facility, 523.2 million AUD in support of regional countries to implement vaccinations through UNICEF and another 100 million AUD within the framework of the Quad with India, Japan and the US.