Written question asked by Bishop of Winchester (Bishops (affiliation)) on Thursday, 25 February 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 March 2021. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 March 2021 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Developing Countries: Coronavirus

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist developing countries to develop a working cold-chain storage system for storing COVID-19 vaccines at the required temperatures.

Answer: The UK is committed to supporting rapid and equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. This includes strengthening country health systems, and ensuring that new vaccines are appropriate for various settings, such as rural areas. The UK's £1.65 billion commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance over five years includes support to strengthen vaccine supply chains, and improve cold chain technologies. Our support to public-private partnerships such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) also includes developing heat-stable vaccines that can be distributed through existing immunisation cold chains, or without refrigeration.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL13723
Session: 2019-21
Subjects: Developing countries Storage Vaccination Refrigeration Coronavirus
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk