Australia delivers more COVID-19 vaccines to support Pacific partners

Australian COVID-19 vaccine doses have arrived in Kiribati on board an inaugural flight to Kiribati under the Pacific Flights Program.

DFAT is sharing 13,000 Australian-manufactured doses with their partners the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services to supply vaccines.

I-Kiribati is one of the region’s most dispersed populations, with 120,000 people spread across 23 atolls.

To ensure these populations have access to COVID-19 vaccines, Australia is also funding a flight to transport doses to Kiritimati Island, one of the locations furthest from the capital of Tarawa. This flight will travel more than 3,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean.

The flight will also deliver 56,000 doses for the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) on behalf of Japan. Australia works with COVAX AMC and partners in the region to facilitate vaccine access for developing countries. A total of 104,000 COVAX AMC vaccine doses have now been delivered to Kiribati.

Australia has already delivered essential medical equipment and supplies to Kiribati under their Essential Services and Humanitarian Corridor program. This program has been delivering vital assistance to their region since the beginning of the pandemic.

Australia is committed to sharing up to 15 million doses with the Pacific and Timor-Leste by mid-2022, with more than 1.6 million shared to date.